My Mister Gay Lover
by rocketandroll
Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, hottest teen breaks up with the multiple girl friends his father sets up for him. Mikan Sakura, a poor commoner struggling to find a job has lost another job. So just what does Natsume Hyuuga have in mind?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice. The plot is inspired by "The First Shop of Coffee Prince" K-drama.

* * *

The Prologue of All This Madness

A crisp sound seemed to echo through huge, sophisticated looking room. A sound of huffing followed afterwards. This is the home of one of Japan's most prestigious family, the Hyuuga residence. Here resides Natsume Hyuuga, one of Japan's hottest bachelors.

Natsume is a seventeen-year-old high school senior studying in the prestigious high school, Alice High. He has jet-black hair and those dreamy dark brown eyes. He has been featured in tabloids, commercials, magazines, photo shoots, you name it, and he has done it.

"What is it with you?!" An older man scolded.

The slap given to him by his father began to sting. Natsume just looked away from his father and didn't care. He was so used to this; being scolded by his father was not an unusual thing at all.

"Natsume, how could you break up with Sumire Shoda? She is the perfect girl for your obnoxious self!" Hyuuga-sama said. He was so disappointed by today's headlines.

**Japan's hottest teen, Natsume Hyuuga breaking up with the Shoda Incorporated's only girl**

"You and Sumire were together for half a year, surpassing the four week relationships you have had with multiple girl friends before. But then you break up with her, why is that so Natsume?"

"Because you were the one who forced me to date them!" Natsume fought back.

"Because those girls are the ones good for you!" Hyuuga-sama answered.

Natsume just remained silent. Why waste his breath? His father won't listen anyway no matter how good he defended himself. He'll receive a slap, if not a scolding if he protested with his father's wishes on finding girl friends.

Hyuuga-sama let out a sigh of frustration and yelled "You might as well be gay if you're going to keep on doing this!" just before he walked away.

Natsume fished out his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed his best friend, Ruka Nogi's number.

* * *

"You're fired!"

"What? WHY?" Seventeen-year-old Mikan Sakura demanded for an answer.

"Because this is the third time you forgot the customer's order!" the manager of a restaurant yelled.

"I'll do better next time! I promise!" she pleaded.

"There is no next time!" the manager said as he shoved her out the door.

Mikan Sakura, a girl with long auburn hair and dark brown eyes has just been fired from her new job as a waitress. She is a commoner, one who is struggling to help her family earn for a living. She is a high school senior from Suteki High.

"Fine! Be that way you bastard!!!" She yelled angrily as her manager opened the restaurant door and threw her bag at her. "How will I tell okaa-san that I just lost a job?" she thought out loud as she started walking, kicking a tin can along too.

* * *

Natsume Hyuuga, arrived at Tokyo's hottest club. Though he was under aged, that didn't stop him. He was always admitted in anyway, without even lining up since his family is quite a powerful figure in Tokyo; everything was easy-breezy for him. He stepped in the club, loud music blasted from the speakers. High class people surrounded him from different companies and corporations, all sucking up and gloating about their riches. He found his best friend, situated at a barstool.

"Hey." He greeted.

"What's up?" his blonde-haired best friend, Ruka Nogi asked him.

"Nothing much, broke up with Sumire, that's all." He replied as if it wasn't a big deal to him.

"I heard about that," Ruka replied as he took a sip from his alcoholic beverage. "She wasn't too hot anyways."

"I never liked the other girls my dad set-up for me anyway, ever."

Ruka chuckled. "What's the deal with you dating a lot of girls anyway? Why can't you just stay single like you want to and find the right girl without rushing in?"

Natsume's eyebrows furrowed as he thought of his father. "He said I have to be in a stable relationship by the age of 19 or 20 with someone fit to be a fiancé."

"But…that's like two or three years from now." His best friend replied.

"That's the point. He's afraid I won't find the suitable girl for me by that time, so he's the one choosing the girl for me."

After a couple of drinks, Natsume decided to call it a day. He parted with his bets friend and called the driver to pick him up. He hopped on the limo as he sat comfortably on the black leather seat. He rubbed his temples, surely he had a headache. The car drove off---next stop was home.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" He yelled angrily as the car suddenly pulled over to a full stop, making Natsume fall to the floor of the limousine.

"Gomenasai Natsume-san, there's this boy who I almost ran over." The driver apologized and explained. "Get out of the way!" the driver yelled at the boy. But the boy protested, he wouldn't leave until the driver gave him an apology.

The person who was almost ran over wasn't a boy as the driver thought, it was Mikan. He was mistaken to be a boy because of his apparel. Mikan wore an oversized sweater with loose jeans and white, dirtied rubber shoes. To top it all off, she wore a cap which gathered her hair and held it all up. She held her bag—a backpack like a boy, throwing it over her shoulders and of course, being flat-chested didn't help in revealing her _true_ gender after all.

"I'm not leaving until you apologize to me!" Mikan yelled.

"Why would I apologize to a punk like you? You were the one who was crossing without looking!" the driver yelled back.

It took to long for the driver and Mikan to argue in the street. Natsume was slowly losing his temper as he sat there, waiting impatiently. He finally stepped out of the limo to meet this person preventing him to go home. He took out his wallet and got a few bills. He handed it to the Mikan but she just brushed it off.

"I don't need your money, mister. I need an apology, you almost killed me!" she told him.

"We're not the one to apologize since according to my driver, you're the one who wasn't looking as you crossed the street." He replied.

Mikan almost gagged. "You're being too full of yourself, mister!"

"I'm being reasonable you ungrateful brat."

"Mister, I just got fired today. I worry about going home to my mom to tell them that I lost my job, which I need to help her earn money to start a business and for a living as well. Though I do need the money you're offering me, all I want is a "sorry" to make me feel better and to at least still give me a sense of pride, is that too much to ask?" Mikan replied.

"Fine then, just so I could go home. I'm sorry we almost ran over you." Natsume apologize to the commoner.

"That's all I needed, mister." She replied as she walked away from him.

He watched Mikan walk away, his eyes deceived him as he looked at her as a boy. He then remembered what Mikan said, that she has just lost her job. Then, he suddenly had this crazy idea. "Oi!" He called her.

She turned around and looked at him. "Yeah?" she replied.

"How old are you?" he asked.

She looked at him skeptically. "I'm not telling you, you weirdo."

"It's not like I'm going to kidnap you. I'm Natsume Hyuuga, the son of the famous owner of Hyuuga industries." He introduced.

"Hyuuga industries…" she repeated. Yes, she knew who he was, but this was the first time she saw him in person. It is quite impossible not to know who Natsume or any of Hyuugas are. They are after all, an influential figure in Tokyo. "Then what do you want?" she asked him.

"How old are you?" he asked again.

"I'm 17." She replied.

"17? Are you still studying?"

"Yeah, in Suteki High. I'm a senior."

Natsume smirked; Mikan was perfect for the job. To him, Mikan looked like the perfect gay lover. Mikan had a pretty face, she looked shabby and poor but with a little grooming, she would be a high class looking guy. His father did say that he might as well be gay if he would break up with a girl from time to time, right? Well, if ever Hyuuga-sama meant it as a joke, Natsume has decided to take it seriously.

"You need a job, right?" he asked her.

Mikan's eyes glowed. "Yes!"

"Well then," he started as he walked towards her. He came close to her and whispered in her ear, "I want you to pretend to be my gay lover."

* * *

**Author's note: How is it? leave a review I would love to receive constructive criticisms or any comment. **


	2. I'm a Boy!

**Author's note: I must confess something; the idea of Mikan posing as a boy was inspired by by the Korean drama, "The first shop of coffee prince"(Great observation, Mistress Symphony). Don't worry, I didn't copy the entire Korean drama plot (that would be plagiarizing, right?) . I edited the rest of the plot to my liking, made it more Natsume-Mikan like and, included the new idea I have. I hope you guys don't get ticked off. I'm glad a lot of people liked the prologue, I hope you'll continue to like it as I go on writing the following chapters. Thanks to the reviewers of the first chapter! Oh, and I will try to update as much as I can for a week. I'm going on family vacations, New Year preparations, etc. so it might be crazy and all. But, I will try my best to find time and update! Just always hang on to your seat!**

* * *

Madness # 1: I'm a boy! 

"You…what?" Mikan was indeed, dumbfounded at what he just whispered in her ear.

He pulled back and a smirk etched on his face. He pulled out a white calling card from his pocket. "Tell me how much you want for the job and we'll settle the amount."

She took the card from him and then kept it in her pocket. "But… I still don't get it." She said as she kept on thinking, how she could be a **gay** lover when in the first place, she's a girl. Doesn't gay mean like, a boy liking another boy? But she wasn't a boy!

"It's simple really, and it's only pretend. You look like a fairly decent boy, so I'm taking my chances with you." He told her.

Mikan gasped. _"No way…does he honestly think that I'm a guy?" _she thought. She looked at her shabby and loose clothes; she stroked her hand against the cap on her head. She wanted to open her mouth and tell him right away that he was making a mistake, but then, she thought about it and after all, she **needed** a job. She smiled at him and said, "I'll think about it."

"Just give me a call." He nonchalantly replied as he returned to the limo.

She watched him take off; this was indeed the most odd job she has engaged in. Nevertheless, it might make good pay.

* * *

The next day, Mikan Sakura rushed the moment she woke up. She was late for class, she didn't bother to have breakfast, she just rushed down the stairs wearing her uniform, a light blue sailor styled uniform for girls. She grabbed her back pack and walked out the door shouting a "I'll be going now!" before fully exiting. 

Suteki High School, an ordinary school for the middle-class was where Mikan studied. It wasn't all that big, but it was a perfect institution of learning anyway and the students seemed to be content about it. At least it's academically accredited. Mikan ran down the hallways, making her way into her classroom. Thankfully, classes haven't started yet.

"HO-TA-RU!" She greeted, emphasizing every syllable of her best friend's name.

But alas, she was greeted by the baka gun attacks of Hotaru Imai, Suteki High's genius who has a knack for inventing things.

_BAKA.BAKA.BAKA._

"ITAIIIIIIII!!!" Mikan cried out in pain as she was slumped to the floor. She rubbed her head with an open palm to try to soothe the pain.

"You're disrupting my peaceful morning…again." Hotaru commented icily.

Mikan ignored the cold tone of her best friend. "Hotaru, you won't believe what I'm going to tell you!!!" she told her excitedly.

"What is it this time?"

"I got a job…from Natsume Hyuuga, the hottest teen bachelor." She gushed.

"What? You're delusional!" Hotaru said in disbelief.

"But I'm not joking, Hotaru!" she tried to convince her best friend. She fished out the calling card of Natsume Hyuuga from her pocket and handed it to Hotaru. "Here's his calling card."

Hotaru grabbed it form her and read the name, NATSUME HYUUGA written on it, along side his contact number. Her best friend wasn't insanely delusional after all. She gave it back and asked, "But how did that happen? And what job did he employ you?"

Mikan sweat-dropped. "You see…that's the thing."

Hotaru looked at her skeptically.

"His limousine almost ran over me last night as I came from getting fired form my job. I asked him to apologize but at first, he didn't want to. I told him I wanted him to apologize so I could feel I have at least pride left after being fired. Then, after he FINALLY apologized, he asked me if I wanted a job." I explained.

"Alright, but what job is that?" Hotaru asked.

The classroom door opened and Mr. Narumi, English teacher entered. The students started to go back to their seats and get ready for the lesson. Before heading back to her seat, Mikan whispered to her, "Pretend to be his gay lover."

Hotaru's eyebrows furrowed, it was rare of her to be this way actually, but she just couldn't believe what Mikan just whispered to her. Did she hear it correctly? _Pretend to be his gay lover? _Was that what Mikan said?

When classes ended, Mikan met up with Hotaru and they decided to walk home together. Hotaru, was simply awestruck about the job as Mikan told her the whole story in full detail.

"So you're telling me, that Natsume thought you were a boy?" Hotaru reassured.

"Yeah. I guess so."

"How the heck are you going to look like a boy all the time with your long hair?" she questioned, pointing out Mikan's long auburn hair.

"I've decided," Mikan replied as she stopped walking. "I'm going to cut it tonight."

Hotaru sighed at her best friend's crazy idea.

"Although…I am going to miss my long hair." Mikan said sadly, as she began stroking her hair with her fingers.

Hotaru stopped on her tracks. Mikan stopped as well and looked at her best friend weirdly. "What's up?" she asked Hotaru.

"You don't have to cut your hair." Hotaru replied.

"Are you kidding? I can't just wear a cap all the time!" Mikan justified.

"I have a new invention you dummy, and this time I'm only selling it to you for a cheap price."

"I can't believe you'd still let me pay!" Mikan complained.

"Do you want my invention or not?"

"What the heck is your invention anyway?" the brunette asked curiously.

A while later at Hotaru's house, Hotaru Imai took out a wig, a plain looking auburn colored wig. "A wig?" Mikan questioned at the sight of seeing it being held by Hotaru.

Hotaru smacked the back of Mikan's head. "It's no ordinary wig; I made it last week for those who have permanent baldness. You really don't know how BIG they would pay for something like this."

Mikan grabbed the wig and wore it. "What's so special about this?"

"Invention 869, the "steady wig" is no ordinary wig. It looks like REAL hair and even feels like real human hair. It even feels light on the head. And no matter how much you shake your head off, the wind attempts to blow it off or even if you ran your fingers through it, it wouldn't move one bit."

Mikan gasped. "AMAZING!" she squealed afterwards. "But tell me, how do you take it off if it's this steady on the head?"

Hotaru handed her a bottle of some special substance. "Hair gel?" Mikan said as she stared at the bottle weirdly.

"It's special hair gel. I placed something in it to make the wig easily come off when you run your fingers filled with gel though the wig's scalp like base."

Mikan flung her arms out and embraced her best friend. "Hotaru, YOU-ARE-A-GENIUS!" she proclaimed.

"Let go of me or I'll take back the idea of giving you this!"

But Mikan just embraced her even tighter.

* * *

That night, 7 pm. 

"…and three, two, one, two." Mikan said out loud as she punched in the number on her cell phone.

"What?" an arrogant male voice answered.

"Ah..uhm.." she got tongue tied.

"Speak up." He commanded.

"H-Hyuuga Natsume?" she stammered, saying his name.

"Who the crap are you?"

Mikan rolled her eyes at his reply. She has always heard stories about Natsume being a rich, disrespectful brat. But never did she believe it, until today. "It's me, the guy you almost got road killed."

"Oh," Natsume's voice relaxed a bit. "What do you want?"

"I'm considering the job you offered me."

Natsume smirked as he saw his plan finally moving forward. "Meet me inside Café Sugar over at Tokyo Town Plaza 8 pm tonight. We'll settle everything."

And before Mikan could even reply or at least oblige, Natsume hung up.

"He didn't even bother saying goodbye!" she said, as if what Natsume did was quite offensive. She stood up, grabbed the wig and wore it. She changed into an oversized white polo and some jeans. She styled the wig to her liking using ordinary hair mousse. She checked herself out, "Hey, not bad! I think I could totally pass to be a boy!" she said proudly.

At 8:10 pm, Natsume began waiting inside Café Sugar. He wasn't really patient at all, just making him wait beyond 5 minutes makes him pissed. He brought out his cell phone and began calling Mikan. Just when the phone started to ring, Mikan entered the café, gasping for air.

She made her way to the table, still heaving and huffing. "What the hell took you so long?!" was Natsume's greeting.

She gasped for air, but still managed to reply, "The...taxi…broke down…had to…run."

"Whatever, just sit down." He replied.

Natsume brought out a form and a pen. "Here's a form you have to fill up so I could get to know you better."

Mikan took the form and read it. A second later, she gave Natsume weird shots and glances upon reading each question. "Why do you have to ask my likes, dislikes and hobbies? What is this? An autograph book?"

"I'm hiring you to be my gay lover, idiot. If we're going to act like we're in a relationship, I have to pretend I know a lot about you as well."

His answer seemed fair enough. She grabbed the pen and started answering it. "By the way, why do you need a pretend gay lover anyway?" she just had to ask.

"My dad's making me date these air headed girls. He wants me to have a stable relationship already while I'm 17 since I have to be engaged by the age of 19 or 20. I thought that maybe if I had a gay lover, he wouldn't force me to date again or even bother to interfere with my love life. If by chance I find the girl I want sometime, I'd be staging a break-up with you." He explained.

Mikan burst out laughing. "That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard."

Natsume glared at her. She sweat-dropped and smiled nervously at him, "I'm kidding." she said. Once she finished filling in every blank item, she gave him back the paper. He read it carefully and he raised an eyebrow at the first blank---the name.

"Sakura Mikan?" he greatly questioned. "Why the heck is your name "Mikan"? Isn't that like a girl's name?"

Her heart started to beat faster as he asked that. She completely forgot that even if she planned her hair and some of her clothes, she missed the part about her name being a certified name for a GIRL. "I…uhm…" she stammered. "My mother…" she trailed off.

"What about your mother?" he asked.

Then it hit her, she remembered the story her classmate, Kokoyorumi told her. A girl in their school has the name of a boy because before she was born, her parents thought she would be born a boy and already picked out a name. Despite knowing that she was a girl after birth, they didn't bother changing it. "Well, you see, my mother thought that I would be born a girl so she already planned giving me the name "Mikan". Then when I came out, they were surprised to see that my mother had a son instead. So, since she already planned my name, she decided not to change it." She explained, as she tried her best to look dignified.

Natsume just shrugged his shoulders. "But…you are straight, right? You're not really gay, are you?" he asked coldly.

Mikan stopped for a second and then reacted like most men would if they were asked that question. She laughed so hard and replied "OF COURSE NOT!"


	3. The First Show

Madness # 2: The First Show

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Moshi-moshi?" Mikan answered her cell phone lazily.

"Oi."

Mikan yawned and glanced at her wall clock, 7:00 am it read. Afterwards, she glanced at the calendar, it was a Saturday. "Natsume." She replied, this time in a deep set voice.

"Get dressed for tonight." He told her.

She raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"We'll be going to a party later."

"Okay, but what am I supposed to wear?" she asked him dumbly.

"Anything that's casual yet a bit dressy." was his reply. This confused Mikan, she didn't really understand the logic about the combination of clothes. _'How the heck can you be casual but dressy at the same time?' _was what ran into her mind the whole time.

"Got it." she replied, even though she didn't. "What party are we going to?"

"A premier party for a movie."

"Cool. What time will we meet and where?" she asked.

"I guess I'll have my driver pick you up at 6 pm then pick me up afterwards, from here in my house, we'll go together."

Mikan didn't get his logic either. "Why don't you just pick me up and then we both head straight to the premier? You're really wasting gasoline by going back and forth."

"Hey, you're not the one paying for the gas, I am. Besides, I don't trust you with the clothes you're gonna wear. If you come here and I think your clothes don't look good enough, I have to lend you mine."

She rolled her eyes. "You demand too much." she retorted.

"I'll be humiliated as well if they say my companion doesn't even know how to dress properly." he told her.

"Whatever." she replied and hung up.

* * *

Mikan got dressed in a white polo with black stripes and a pair of black pants. She wore her father's old formal black shoes and styled her hair, err, wig with ordinary hair gel. At around 6 pm or so, Natsume's driver picked her up. She stopped on her tracks upon seeing the driver. "Hey! You're the driver from the other night—the one who almost got me road killed!" she exclaimed. 

"I'm just glad I'm picking you up, now there'll be less chances for me to run over you." The driver replied with sarcasm.

Mikan gritted her teeth and just hopped on the limo. "What a jerk." she mumbled.

"Were you saying something, sir?" he asked sarcastically.

She just threw a fake smile at him. "No, nothing." and they drove off. _"I can't believe the driver's attitude is almost as rotten as Natsume's." _

They arrived at a huge mansion later on, and Mikan just stared in amazement. The mansion wasn't all that far from her home. It was probably just 15 minutes away or so. There was a huge garden and a long driveway leading all the way to the entrance of the house. They pulled up to the curb and she got off. A maid assisted her in.

"Oh my go-" she was about to exclaim, seeing the inside of the mansion. It looked so glorious and classy. Totally, for the rich people and you wouldn't even dare to ask how rich they are because you can already tell by looking at the furniture and intricately designed paintings and sculptures.

"Hey, surprisingly you don't look so bad."

She turned to the direction of the voice and saw Natsume. He was wearing a white robe and he carried a bottle of water on one hand. "You're not dressed yet?" she asked, lowering her voice a little at the same time.

"I'm about to. Wait in the living room." He said then he marched his way up.

Minutes later, he came out with black pants, black shoes and an unbuttoned light blue polo. "Hey." He called. She turned to him and almost dropped her jaw upon seeing him, or rather, half of his body.

'_Ohmygod. He's so…so…'_

He dumped a black coat on her head. "Wear that." He instructed her.

"Y-y-yeah." She stammered as she just watched him button up his polo.

"Let's go." he said

"A-alright." She replied, still stammering. She touched her cheeks and they felt flushed. **"No wonder they called him the hottest teen bachelor." **she commented.

* * *

The venue was like a red carpet premier. Hundreds of celebrities gathered around and there were deranged fan girls on the other side of the fence screaming out the names of their favorite celebrities—it was CRAZY. Cameramen fought with each other, struggling with each other on getting the first perfect shot of the day. 

"I can't believe this is what it looks like live and right in front of you!" Mikan was wowed by what she was seeing in front of her.

"Just follow everything I say and go with it, got that?" he told her.

"But…what exactly is going to happen?"

He shrugged his shoulders and replied. "Dunno."

He stepped out of the limousine first and then she followed behind him. The first thing she saw was a flash of light and the first sound she heard, other then the roaring fans screams was "Looking good, Natsume!". Yes, paparazzis were following them and asking Natsume a LOT of questions.

"Hey Natsume, no date tonight?" was one of the questions.

Mikan saw him smirk, "Here's my date." He said and he threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She gaped at what he just did. "So he's a new friend of yours?" one entertainment show host asked.

"Yeah, and he's pretty special." He replied as he smirked and drew his face close to hers.

"What are you doing?" she whispered to him. Natsume didn't reply.

The paparazzi didn't even bother to ask anymore questions after that, they just chuckled awkwardly and focused their attention to another celebrity. One thing was perfectly clear, there was something ODD about Natsume Hyuuga that night. Everyone started going inside the theater lobby. The movie was about to start, and everyone got in their seats.

* * *

Everyone clapped at the end of the movie. The lights opened and Natsume found his "date" sleeping. He shook her shoulder as he said "Hey, baka get up." But Mikan just groaned and brushed Natsume's hand away from her shoulder. He shook her again, "Baka, wake up!" he said loudly in her ear. 

She suddenly shot up. "Wh-what? What's going on?" she said stammering, shocked from the sudden wake-up call.

Natsume smacked her forehead. "Stop clowning around." he warned her and he stood up from the seat. She followed right after behind him.

The after party was held at the next theater, which was actually a theater for staging plays and concerts so it was an ideal venue for a party. Mikan looked around as if she was a lost kid. She heard the loud party music turning up. There were hundreds of people, more like celebrities and all those people you see on T.V. dancing or having a drink.

"Hey Natsume." A tall, thin and gorgeous girl greeted him.

"What's up, Natsume?" another gorgeous girl asked him.

"Hey Natsume, who's your friend?" yet, another asked.

He didn't mind a single comment at all. In the midst of the crowd, he suddenly held her hand and slowly entwined it with his. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Entwine it." He ordered.

"No way." She replied pulling her hand back.

He once again grabbed her hand and forced her to entwine it with his. "I told you to follow everything I say."

"Hey Natsume!" a girl called as she walked up to them, "Err, who's your friend?" she suddenly turned her attention to Mikan.

"Oh, he's my date." He replied.

"Date huh?" the girl looked at him skeptically.

"Yeah, can't you see?" he answered and held up his and Mikan's entwined hands.

"I…uhm…" the girl got tongue tied as she got the idea that Natsume was…gay. "That's great. I'll see you around." and she walked away.

Mikan pulled her hand away from Natsume. "This is crazy!" she complained.

He smirked. "Of course it is, if it wasn't, the plan will all go to waste."

For the rest of the night, everyone looked at the couple skeptically. "Hey Natsume, you wanna dance?" a model asked.

"No thanks, I have someone with me." He replied to her and ruffled Mikan's hair.

"Okay." She embarrassingly replied and walked away.

Natsume placed a hand on Mikan's cheeks and drew his face close to hers. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked him. Then, he suddenly blew some air from his mouth at her. She pulled away and shook her head to get a hold of herself. "What was that?" she asked nervously.

"There was a fallen eyelash on your face, baka. I was only trying to remove it." He explained.

"But you didn't have to do that! All you had to do was tell me!" she replied exasperatingly. "**I can't take all this mushy stuff going on**."

Natsume took a glance at the photographers who were snapping away at their direction. His plan was going on smoothly. He smirked, "If that's the case, let's go home then."

"Really?" she beamed. It was fine for Natsume to go home, since the media had enough footage or pictures of him with his "date" already. By tomorrow morning, his father will go crazy over tomorrow's headlines.

"Yeah, let's go." he replied and place an arm over her shoulder.

* * *

The next day. 

Hyuuga-sama crumpled the newspaper and threw it as hard as he could on the floor. "What CRAP is this?!" he questioned his secretary angrily.

"I don't know, Hyuuga-sama." The secretary replied in fear of his boss.

Today's headline:

**Natsume Hyuuga, after all the girlfriends, decides for a boyfriend?**

Along with that headline was a picture of the time Natsume was blowing some air on Mikan's face. It was a bit convincing along side the headline. That made Hyuuga-sama, Natsume's father very furious. What kind of nut case trend was his son going for now?

"Call Natsume right away!" he yelled.

"Right away, sir."

* * *

**Author's note: I would like to thank: BiTtEr-SwEeT-cHeRrY, cute-azn-angel, Konnichiwa Minna, Khaos-chan, dominiqueanne, Choculate, animefreak94296929, denii05, Little-Miss-Gigglex, JoiZ. D, sHirO-kOi, slasher0author, ikazuchi-hime and WindAssasin for reviewing chapter 2. I hope you guys liked chapter 3 too. What is it boring? exciting? kawaii? Please leave a review. I would love constructive criticisms too. Stay in tuned for the next chapter :) Happy New Year to all:)  
**


	4. Trouble

**Note: I'm considering on writing it in Mikan's POV starting from this chapter. What ya'll think? **

**Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapter.xAngel of deathx, 'Blue Moon and Roses' (love the new name!) ,Irumi Kanzaki, defianceobjectivity99, t0ngtOng, kradraven, animefreak94296929, aiyen, sakurahua2x, sHirO-kOi, Choculate, lucia096, InvictusLass, Caritate, dominiqueanne, ikazuchi-hime, k0nek0, ambhi, petalsarefallingxoxo, hitsuji25, WindAssasin, shima-hime, JoiZ. D, and Kananoru, Thank you for reviewing. I hope I didn't miss out on anyone. **

**Reviews are GREATLY appreciated, trust me. Oh, and suggestions, they're the best too cause they give me inspiration. :)**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter:) I will TRY to update soon. :)**

* * *

Madness # 3: Trouble 

"He kept doing these mushy things to me! It was so distracting and awkward!" I complained a lot to my best friend the next day.

I invited Hotaru for some Japanese pancakes; of course, it's my treat yet AGAIN. I felt like telling Hotaru everything that happened the night before. It was crazy and that's just what I would describe it.

"Oh my." Hotaru gasped as the pancake she was about to eat fell to the floor.

"Mmm? What is it? What's wrong?" I asked curiously.

Hotaru suddenly called the waiter reading the newspaper. "Excuse me sir, but may I borrow the newspaper for a while?" she asked him. The waiter obliged and handed the newspaper to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. A second later, my eyes widened at the headlines. Actually, the PICTURE supporting the headline shocked me more. "Oh my—that's me!" I exclaimed.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" she warned.

* * *

"Yeah?" Natsume answered his cell phone. 

"Natsume, I see you've had too much fun lately." Was his father's greeting to him.

He just rolled his eyes. Talking to his father wasn't exactly a fun thing to do, it was what he avoided the most. "Why did you call me?" he asked.

"Is it true? This headline on today's paper?"

"Yes, it is true." Natsume answered with no second-guessing.

"No, I bet you're lying, Natsume. This is just an act, something you set-up to escape from me having to find you a suitable fiancé."

"No, I like that boy very much." he said, just to convince his father.

He heard his father slam his fist on the hard wooden office table. "GODDAMMIT, Natsume! Stop playing around!"

Natsume smirked, "I'm not playing around. I don't care if you don't believe me."

"We will talk about this nonsense tonight."

Natsume hung up right after his father's last words.

* * *

"You know, this is really bad." Hotaru told me. "What if your name becomes known by the media? Then everyone in school and everyone who knows you will DEFINITELY find out that you've been lying to Natsume about your gender." She added. 

I frowned the minute she said that. Then, I began to panic. I tugged Hotaru's sleeve over and over and over and over… "HOTARU! WHAT AM I GONNA DO? THAT CAN'T HAPPEN OR ELSE NATSUME WILL EVENTUALLY FIND OUT I LIED TO HIM AND KILL ME!"

_BAKA. BAKA. BAKA. _

Her baka gun attacks seemed to calm me down…in a gruesome way. "I guess you'll have to talk to Natsume and tell him never to expose your name. If he decides to proclaim you as his official boy friend, your name will be asked by the media and Natsume will probably be the first to give it."

I clenched my fists in determination. **"Alright! Tell Natsume to never give my name! GOT IT!" **

The suddenly, my cell phone rang. **It read: "NATSUME" on the screen. **"Speaking of the devil." I told Hotaru.

"Hello?" I answered the call.

"_Hey." He greeted._

"What's up?" I asked him nervously.

_By the sound of his voice, he sounded so pissed off. "I'll be asking the driver to pick you up tonight; we have to talk in the house. You have to be in the house before 7:30 pm."_

I bit my lip and asked, "What are we gonna talk about?"

"_Something…."_

I sighed. "Okay, but Natsume, I have something to request of you."

"_What do you want?" _

"I…We'll talk about it later."

"_Fine." He said and hung up._

* * *

That night, at around 7 pm, the driver picked me up at my house. We went straight ahead to Natsume's house. I still wondered what my purpose there was tonight, I felt as nervous as hell just thinking of the possibilities. 

_Did he already find out that I'm a girl?_

_God, I hope not._

_Is he going to question the other things in the form I answered?  
_

_Nah, I don't think so._

WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GOING TO TALK ABOUT?!!!

The car stopped and I found myself already at the venue. I stepped out and a maid ushered me in. "Where's Natsume?" I asked her.

"He's upstairs in the living room. You may go up already." she replied.

I climbed up the staircase and when I finally got there, I saw him on the couch, watching T.V. "Hey." I called him. He took a look at me, "Come here." He replied. My eyebrows furrowed at what he just asked me to do. "But why?" I questioned as I moved forward and sat beside him on the couch. "What are we going to talk about?"

"Whatever I'm gonna do, you just have to follow, okay?" he instructed me again.

"You say that to me all the time, but what the heck are we going to talk about?"

I heard noises from downstairs, the door opened and I heard a man's voice. Who was that?

"Oh shit, he's a few minutes early!" Natsume sort of panicked.

"What?" I just asked. I had no idea what the heck was he talking about. Suddenly, he grabbed me by shoulders and pinned me down the couch, making me lie down. "Wh-what the heck are you doing?!" I asked him, demanding for an answer in return as I struggled to get him off me.

"Shh!" he scolded. At the same time, I heard someone coming up the stairs. I attempted to open my mouth and protest but he already covered it with his hand. **"I'm just gonna pretend to kiss you."** He whispered and drew his face close to mine. I felt our noses touch as he ran one hand through the wig I was wearing. I felt my skin get cold and my face hot as I felt his cheek brush against mine.

"NATSUME!" I heard the voice of the man yell.

He finally let go of me and turned to look at the man. I sat up and looked at the man as well. He looked like in his mid 40's, I'm guessing he's Natsume's father.

"What on earth are you doing?!" he yelled, but this time, in a more fierce voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm making out with my boy friend." Natsume answered nonchalantly.

His answer made me gasp in the inside. Then, his father suddenly pulled him away from me and punched him on the cheek. Natsume fell to the floor with a hand on the affected cheek and his father just watched him. "You're a complete moron." His father told him with anger and disappointment in his voice. He turned away and made his way down the stairs. I heard the engine of the car start and the door slam. I'm guessing Hyuuga-sama must've gone out again.

I ran to Natsume on the floor. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked him, even though it wasn't the best question to ask right now.

He stood up and held his cheek. He slumped to the couch and closed his eyes. "Hold on, I'll go get some ice." I said and ran downstairs. I came back with an ice pack on my hand, "Here, hold this against your cheek." I told him.

He glared at me and grabbed it from my hand. I watched him flinch in pain. I felt terrible even though it wasn't my fault in the first place. He stood up and grabbed a bottle of liquor from the shelf. He opened it and started drinking.

"Drinking the night away isn't going to ease the pain, not one bit." I told him.

"You can go home now, that's all I wanted you to do." He replied, ignoring what I said earlier.

"You mean that's what we were supposed to talk about? Pretending that you were going to kiss me?"

He drank from the bottle and replied, "Yeah. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to give you a proper warning since my father came in early today."

I sat beside him on the couch. "It's fine. I'm getting used to it."

"Aren't you going home yet? You can ask my driver downstairs to just drive you home." He told me.

He picked up his cell phone afterwards and pressed some buttons. I heard him talking to a person named "Ruka". He asked him to come over, the Ruka person must be his friend or something. I stood up and was thinking about leaving when he hung up on his cell phone. I heard him whine in pain of his cheek right after.

I stopped and told him, "I don't wanna leave until that Ruka friend of yours arrives."

"It's not like I'll be in danger when you leave." He replied and took a drink at the bottle.

"I know, but I don't know. I feel responsible for some reason."

Natsume looked at me skeptically. "God, you behave like a girl." He told me.

My heart started to beat so fast as he said that. I felt nervous. I cleared my throat, "SHUT UP YOU!" I just yelled out in defense."Besides, I have something to talk to you about, right?" I reminded him as I sat once more beside him on the couch.

He took another drink and this time, he finished the bottle. He stood up, got another bottle from the shelf, and opened it to take another drink. "What do you wanna tell me anyway?"

"I only have one request," I said.

He plopped down beside me and continued on his drinking frenzy. "What?" he asked arrogantly.

"You **CANNOT** tell the media my name."

"Why not? Because your name is meant for a girl?" he teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Haha, very funny, stupid." I replied with sarcasm.

"You haven't given me a reason. Why not?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow at me and took a drink from the bottle again.

"Well…it's because…" I started to think of a lie.

"What?" he was demanding for an answer.

"Okay, okay. You can't tell anyone because I don't want my mom to find out that I got into this job in the first place." **I lied to him. **

"Is she gonna freak out or something when she finds out that you've been pretending to be **my gay lover?**" he asked me with a grin on his face.

"Pretty much." I replied. **"So please, you CANNOT TELL, EVER the media or maybe ANYONE for that matter my name. Got that?"** I asked him just to be sure.

"Geez, alright alright." He answered as he massaged his temples.

"Hey, are you okay? Do you have a headache?" I asked.

"Nah," he replied. But I doubted it, I think he was starting get drunk or something.

"So you promise, not to tell anyone my name, okay? Or else you are SO DEAD."

"Yeah, yeah." He replied.

I extended my hand and told him, "Shake my hand to promise me you won't tell."

He chuckled. "What are we, five years old? God, you're adorable."

"YOU IDIOT!" I abruptly blurted out. Though, I didn't know why I did that, it just came out right after he said I was adorable. "JUST SHAKE MY HAND TO PROMISE ME DAMMIT!"

He glared at me. "Here's your promise." He said coldly and then pulled my arm.

I felt his soft, warm lips against my own. My eyes grew wide open in shock but Natsume had his closed. I wanted to pull away, but something made me feel like my lips were glued to his. He smelled of alcohol and perfume, it was intoxicating.

"Na-Nat-Natsume?" I heard a voice call.


	5. In Addition

Madness # 4: In addition

I forced myself to pull away from him as I heard a new voice. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" I yelled at him and smacked his forehead with the edge of my palm. He groaned in pain and blinked his eyes a few times. Then it mentally slapped me that it wasn't only Natsume and I in the room, someone has just arrived. I turned to look at the new arrival. He was as tall as Natsume, had ocean blue eyes, blond hair and fair skin. He was pretty good-looking.

"H-hi?" I greeted slowly and stammering at the same time.

The boy with blond hair looked at me with doubt and greeted me back with a "Hi." as well.

"I have to go now. Please take care of Natsume." I didn't even let him reply to me, I just headed down the stairs and out of the mansion. I glanced at my watch and it was getting late. I decided to go home by myself by taking a cab.

* * *

Natsume's kiss haunted me for DAYS. It was as if I could still smell his perfume and liquor at the same time. I found myself touching my lips every now and then, and I my cheeks felt hot every time I would remember that moment. 

God, I should really get a hold of myself.

"Mikan-chan! Come downstairs and help me!" my mom called.

I got up from my bed and shook my head to get a hold of myself. "I'm coming!" I replied as I went down the stairs.

I saw my mom getting ready for a job interview. She's been trying to sell clothes and make-up products, and she's currently trying to make a big break on selling her products under stores. "Wrap those up, would you?" she said, pointing to the bunch of sealed make-up on the table.

"Good luck today." I wished her.

"U-huh. I hope I nail this, we definitely need to save up for your graduation."

I frowned as she said that. That reminds me, I haven't had any plans for college yet. It's mostly because it never hit me due to the lack of funds. "Good luck again." I said and handed her the bag of make-up. She smiled at me and kissed me on my forehead. Then, I watched her leave the house.

I sighed. "That reminds me, he still hasn't paid me."

I grabbed my cell phone once I entered my room. I located Natsume's number in my contacts and called him.

"What do you want?" was his usual greeting to me.

"I want cash." I replied, giving him back the arrogance he has just shown me.

"Haven't I paid you yet?"

"If you did, I would not be talking to you right now."

I heard him groan. "Fine, when do you need the money?"

"Now would be good."

"You're a little too demanding you know that?"

I smirked, "You mean just like you?" I barked back.

"I'm at the Tokyo Town Plaza; meet me inside the Italian restaurant."

"Gotcha."

I hurried to the Town Plaza and arrived there by means of a cab. I went inside the restaurant and looked for him. I found him with another guy. I made my way to his table and greeted him "Hey."

"Oh, it's you." He said, as if I was a pest in his life.

"So this is the guy you were talking to me about?" said Natsume's companion. I turned to him and recognized him. Hid blond hair and ocean blue eyes were very familiar. "Hey, aren't you the guy in his house?" I asked him.

He chuckled. "That's right. You're Mikan, right? the gay lover he hired?"

My jaw almost dropped when he said my name. Didn't Natsume promise not to tell anyone my name? I glared at Natsume and said "I thought we made a promise that you wouldn't let anyone know my real name?" I told him angrily.

"Ruka won't tell anyone. I told him the whole story and as well as keeping his mouth shut about the whole thing." He replied.

I looked at the blond boy, err, Ruka. He smiled and said, "I won't say anything."

"Thanks." I replied with a smile. I bent down and introduce myself, "I'm Sakura Mikan."

"Nogi Ruka." He replied. "Why don't you sit down?" he offered.

"No, I'm just here to get something from Natsume."

"Come on, if you're worried about paying. I'll pay for you." said Ruka.

He sure is a lot kinder than Natsume. I grabbed the chair and sat down. Natsume glared at me and said, "I didn't say it was okay for you to join us."

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance and his egoistic behavior. "But Ruka invited me." I told him to shut him up.

"Natsume, I wanna know more about him." said Ruka.

I stuck my tongue out at Natsume and then smiled at Ruka. "Are you his best friend or something?" I asked him.

He nodded his head in reply. "You sure are kind compared to Natsume." I said.

He chuckled after what I said. "You've been victimized by him when he was drunk the other day, ne?"

Then it flashbacked to me, _the kiss_. "W-what?" I stammered.

"I mean the kiss, Natsume accidentally kissed you." He reminded me.

I ruffled my hair and replied "Oh yeah. Damn, that was disgusting!"

"Oh come on, you tasted like vomit." Natsume hissed.

I placed my hands over my chest. "Then why did you kiss me?" I shot him the question, demanding for an answer.

"I was drunk, stupid."

"Yeah right." I replied sarcastically.

"What, do you want me to say that I kissed you because I love you?" he joked.

I stopped for a second and looked at him. My eyebrows furrowed, I was angry but something held me back from smacking his head with my armed and ready fist. "Dude, you're creeping me out!" I told him as I backed away a little.

"Weirdo." He called me.

Ruka chuckled nervously. "Okay guys, knock it off." he said. He turned to me, "Mikan, you better be prepared to run away if Natsume takes in the strong drinks again."

I cocked an eyebrow at what he said, slightly biting my lower lip, I asked, "Why?"

He nodded his head. "You see, the bad thing about giving hard liquor to Natsume is that instead of passing out, he creates this kissing frenzy. He grabs the first person he sees and plants one on their lips."

"And this has happened…how many times already?" I asked.

He thought for a moment then answered, "A few times only. But don't worry; he rarely drinks hard liquor unless he's really depressed."

I hate to admit it, but somehow, I feel bad knowing that's the only reason he really kissed me. Oh, I don't know.

Natsume opened his wallet and pulled out some bills. He handed it to me and of course, I took it. "But this is only 2,500 yen!" I argued.

"I only used your services for a few times. I'll only pay you again ONLY if I need you." He replied.

I smacked my forehead with an open palm. "But I need more than this right now!"

He completely ignored me. Ruka tapped my shoulder and inserted a 500 yen bill in my hand. He was too kind. I returned it to him and said, "I can't accept this. My Jii-chan said, never to accept free money unless I won the lottery or any contest for that matter."

I tugged Natsume's sleeve over and over again. "NAT-SU-ME! Is this all I really get for this job? Didn't you say that I should tell you how much I WANT for this job?"

"How much?" he asked arrogantly.

"20, 000 yen."

He smacked my head with his palm. "That's too much you free loader!"

"Hey! Don't call me a free loader! Your attitude is too rotten Natsume!" I yelled at him. People at the restaurant were staring to look at our table.

"If you want more money, you're gonna have to work it off." He said.

"But I don't have another job, remember, I got fired the night that I met you?" I reminded him as I almost raised my voice.

"Dammit, shut up, you're too noisy." He told me as I looked around and everyone in the restaurant was looking at us.

I groaned. "You are too impossible! Oh I swear the gods will curse you for this! Oh yes, they will punish you they wi----"

Suddenly, a cell phone rang. Natsume stood up and answered the call. "Impossible, he still gets away with it!" I complained to Ruka who just seemed to laugh at my antics.

When he came back 10 to 15 minutes later, he sat down and kept his phone in his pocket. He looked at me; no, more like glared at me and said, "It's your lucky day, baka."

My eyebrows furrowed with curiosity. "Why?"

"I have a job for you."

"GREAT!" I beamed. "What job is that?"

He sat back on his chair with elbows back on the back of the seat. "My alarm clock." he answered.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey ya'll. Sorry it took me a while to update. Damn, for the past few days i've been trying to get my head straight. **

**ANYWAY, enough blabbering for me and I want to thank you again for the reviewers for the last chapter. I'm sorry for the HORRIBLE and CRUEL cliffhanger frowns. Sorry to say that i'm a fan of cliffhangers, in every story I may leave three or so of those cliffhangers. **

**I want to thank especially, aiyen for beta-ing(is there a word like that?) this chapter. **

**Well now, what kind of nutcase trend is Natsume going for next? Alarm clock? I'll try to update soon. Gee, school starts tomorrow. :l i dont wanna yet. Be glad to tell me if the characters seem OOC/out of character already. Well... are they? I'm paranoid about these things. Please do tell me. Till the next chapter. :) **


	6. Bizarre Situation

Madness#5: Bizarre situation

I'm Mikan Sakura, 17 years old, a high school senior. I'm helping my mom earn myself college tuition money since my dad won't support us since they got a divorce. My life isn't a fairy tale because I wasn't born a princess. I make money by working and I immediately stick it in the family piggy bank just to be sure that I won't spend it in anything unnecessary. 

In comes Natsume Hyuuga, 17 years old and known as the wealthy and hot teen bachelor. Who would've thought that despite his brilliant façade he'd be cooking up weird ideas just to get rid of the fiancées his father picked for him? He hired me to be his **gay lover**. How unusual can you get?

Oh wait, no, that's not it yet.

…he asks me to be his alarm clock?

I opened my mouth and out came a sharp, "WHAT THE HELL?" which caused half of the restaurant to stop and stare at me. 

He smirked at me and said, "Perfect. Your loud mouth is perfect for the job."

I crossed me arms over my chest and said, "How the heck will I become an alarm clock?"

"Otou-san is leaving two days from now for a flight to Europe. He'll be there for maybe about 3 weeks and no one will manage the company while he's away."

I looked at him dumbly, because I didn't have a clue where this was all going. "And?" I asked, wanting to know what's next.

"I'm managing the company while he's away. Managing the company will mean all-nighters at work and errands to do. I won't be getting much sleep. I need someone to wake me up if it just so happens that I doze off while doing work and someone to remind me of my schedule too." He answered me.

"Why don't you just get a personal assistant?" I told him.

"Don't you NEED a job in the first place?" he rubbed it in my face.

"I…do."

"Then congratulations, you're now my alarm clock." He said with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"What a term." I told as I rolled my eyes at him. "I'd prefer to be called an assistant."

"Why are you so picky at times?" He then started to look at me skeptically. 

A drop of sweat started falling down from my temples. I just had to be careful; I can't let my cover be blown. "Oh shut up." I answered him.

* * *

A few days after, Hotaru and I went to Town Plaza for an afternoon snack after school. We remained silent enjoying our food, until I suddenly thought of an idea. 

"So Hotaru, I think I should get my hair permanently cut." I told her with glee.

Her eyes became cold, "Quit talking nonsense." She said, as she sipped on her milkshake. 

"I'm serious!" I tried convincing her. Before I could open my mouth and explain further, my cell phone suddenly rang. I fished it from my pocket and sighed heavily. "It's Natsume." I said and flipped it open to answer the call. 

"Where are you?" he asked, sounding harassed.

"Somewhere." I answered, just to piss him off. 

"Idiot, I need you right now. I've got work to do all night." He replied.

"Where are you?" I asked him. Just then, Hotaru tugged my sleeve. "Not now, Hotaru." I whispered. Yet, she tugged my sleeve again. 

"Baka, Natsume's outside this restaurant." She said.

"I'm in Town Plaza, picking up a few stuff." He answered at the same time my eyes stared at the glass window of the restaurant. There, I saw him standing with his cell phone. Obviously, I was the one on the other line. 

"I…I…" I started stuttering. 

"I'm in a hurry, just go to my house as soon as possible." He said.

"I…will." I replied, while Hotaru and I were walking to the back door of the restaurant.

When we got out of the restaurant , Natsume had already hung up. "We have to be careful. We might bump into him." I told Hotaru nervously. 

We behaved like stalkers. We followed Natsume's track, walking behind him. Eventually, we went into one shop and pretended to be window-shopping for a few minutes until we thought Natsume would be gone. 

"I think I need a lifestyle change." I told her as we exited the shop.

"Suit yourself, but it's gonna be your guilt or conscience haunting you in the end."

"I'm just too afraid that this situation might happen again, and what if I really bump into him face to face? I know he's not that of an idiot not to notice." I told her worriedly.

Hotaru decided to walk home, while I took a cab since I was in a hurry. Upon arriving home, I immediately got dressed into an oversized shirt and some jeans and of course, the number one item---the wig. At around 6 pm, I took another cab and headed for Natsume's place.

"_In all fairness, this means of transportation is costing me a lot." I thought to myself as the cab drove off._

When I arrived at the Hyuuga mansion, I was greeted by the maids. My eyes couldn't help but marvel at each expensive item in the mansion. Everything in this house seemed to be imported from ever country in the globe. I don't know, I'm not so sure but it seemed like it. However, I'm only sure about one thing. 

**I hate this place.**

Why?

Because I think all these expensive items such as vases, statues are just a waste of good money.

Sheesh. 

"Natsume-kun is in his room." A maid informed me.

"Thanks." I simply replied and made my way up the stairs. 

I flung the door open and saw him by his study table typing away with his laptop, which must have caused thousands of yen or something. 

"Don't you knock?" he growled at me.

I stopped at my tracks and gave him a grin, "I forgot."

I looked around his room. He had such a huge bed. He had a flat screen TV hanging on the wall and under the TV there was a rack of video games. This really fulfills the image of a usual rich boy's bedroom. "So what should I do now?" I asked him, as he was still busy with his laptop.

He grabbed the folders and dumped them on me. "Organize those files from A-Z based on the company names. I'm straightening out business deals so every time I ask for the company name, you give me the file. Got that?" 

I dropped the files to the floor because they were heavy. "Got it." I answered him as I sat on the floor. "By the way, Natsume. Do you plan to keep me here all night? Cause I've got school tomorrow." I informed him.

Yet, he didn't answer. 

Oh well, I'm only arranging files right? how hard could that be? 

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Almost done with my work, I glanced at the wall clock and it was already 8:45 pm. Okay, I was wrong. Arranging these files aren't easy because in about every folder, there are papers of mixed companies. In short, there are so many things to fix and there are so many files. From time to time, Natsume would ask for a certain document from a company and it's frustrating to find it in the pile of mixed papers and folders. On top of that, we argued and that consumed much more time.

I sighed heavily as I started to have a migraine. I noticed Natsume still working on something in the laptop. "Where's the bathroom?" I asked him.

"Use the guest's bathroom. Ask the maid for directions." he said.

I exited his room. I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the pain as I asked the maid for directions to the bathroom.

After using the bathroom, I continued to rub my temples and I closed my eyes as I walked towards Natsume's room. Suddenly, I bumped into someone. I muttered a "sorry" as I opened my eyes. I looked down and saw this kid with short black hair and innocent dark brown eyes. We stared at each other for seconds and then it sank into me. 

"Oh my gosh, you look like Natsume!" I almost shrieked. 

She smiled at me and pulled my hand. 

I burst into the room with the kid by my side. "Natsume! I didn't know you had a sister!" I exclaimed excitedly.

He glared at me and said, "You know, for a guy, you have such a high-pitched voice."

I stopped at my tracks and my excitement faded away.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey ya'll. It's been so long since I updated. Now, I hope you liked this chapter. I tried my best and honestly, I wasn't able to proofread it cause im in a hurry. So please just pm me for concerns or drop a review! Till next time! )**


	7. Little Sisters Are Just So Precious

Madness# 6: Little sisters are just so precious.

'_Oh shoot.' I thought to myself._

I wanted to get a gun, shoot myself, float up to heaven and die. I've been so careless, and I dread to know what he'll do to me when he finds out that all this time, I've been hiding the truth from him.

He stood up, not taking his eyes off me. "There's something funny about you." He firmly stated. I gulped as I stared into his cold eyes. Did he already find out? Should I be saying my prayers right now?

"Natsume, what's funny? There is nothing funny. If there is, I should be laughing." The kid suddenly told her brother.

Natsume's glare faded in a snap as his little sister started talking. Thank goodness for little kids. His eyes softened and he got down on his knees to pinch the kid's cheeks. She giggled and Natsume gave her a warm smile.

Hold up.

_**WARM SMILE?**_

Since when did he learn to do that?

"Why aren't you sleeping yet, _Buriko_?" he said with a little tease in his voice. Ugh, it made me sick to hear him that way, that---_nice._

"A-O-I! Not Buriko!" she complained. "I can't sleep." She added.

"Well, I gotta get back to finishing work while otou-san is away." He explained to her. He suddenly looked at me. "Oi loud mouth, watch over Aoi until she sleeps." He told me.

I clenched my fists, ready to hit him for revenge for what he just called me, but I remembered one thing: _**Violence isn't good for kids.**_ I pulled Aoi away from her brother. Natsume returned to the laptop and Aoi and I left the room.

"What's your name again?" she asked me.

"Mikan. You are Aoi, right?"

She nodded her head in reply. "Can I call you Aoi-chan?" I asked.

She nodded her head again in reply. She's such a cute kid, very unlike her brother. I wonder how that happened? "So how old are you?" I asked her. She held a few fingers up and I smiled at her cuteness. "Oh… so you're 6 years old."

"Onii-chan, how come I've only seen you now? Are you Natsume's new friend?" she asked me.

I stopped walking and almost burst out laughing. I held it in instead; I answered "Yeah." Even though deep down inside, we're hardly even friends.

"That's good to know." She replied as we entered her room. "Are you friends with Ruka as well?"

I bit my lip in hesitation for my reply. "Yeah, I guess so."

I almost gasped.

It screamed "Princess Heaven" to me. Her room had drapings on the bed and on the ceilings. Most of the items were pink in color. She had a mountain of toys and her room had a huge flat screen TV just like Natsume's too. It made me somewhat jealous because I wanted a room like that. I lifted her up in arms and placed her to bed. "Onii-chan, do you know if Natsume has a girlfriend?"

I almost laughed and I really wanted to say, "Kid, try _boyfriend _or _gay lover_, which would be correct." But of course, I can't tell her that. So, I just replied, "Uhm…I don't think so."

She pouted and said, "That's too bad."

"Aoi, it's late, you should get some rest." I told her.

"But I'm not sleepy." She protested, crossing her arms over her chest.

I sighed and said, "Wait a minute, okay? I'll be back." I went out of the room and then made a call using my cell phone. I phoned my mom and told her that I'll be going home really late. Afterwards, I went back to the room again and smiled at Aoi who was playing with her toys.

"How about I put you to bed and we'll just talk until you fall asleep?"

* * *

Thirty minutes after, she finally fell asleep. I made my way out of her room and into Natsume's. I saw him shutting down his laptop. "Hey, it looks like I won't have to wake up you up today." I told him.

"And why is that?" he asked.

"Because you finished your work before you even had the chance to doze off."

"Aren't you finished with these files yet?" he asked.

"I haven't finished it yet since I was baby-sitting your sister." I answered. "Hey, I should get paid extra for that! And the cab I took just to get here!" I demanded.

"Alright, alright. You can finish the work tomorrow and I'll pay you for the cab and for watching over Aoi."

I cocked an eyebrow at him and said, "How come you're being awfully nice all of a sudden?"

"Because I'm sleepy, you idiot. I just want to get this over with."

"On second thought, just pay me for the cab, never mind about paying me for Aoi." I told him.

He looked at me weirdly and said, "You don't have to put the good guy image on. I know you want it."

I gritted my teeth and replied, "You're dead to me."

I grabbed my bag and almost headed out for the door when he suddenly called my attention. "Hey, wait a sec." he said.

I turned to him and asked, "What is it?"

He took a few steps towards me and said, "I'm not letting you get away with the fact that I think something is funny about you."

…And my heart thumped as he said that. "W-what the heck are you talking about?"

"How come you've got such a high pitched voice?" he asked seriously.

I sighed, "Okay, Natsume. Fine, I'll tell you the truth."

He fixed a glare at me while I began dramatizing. "Natsume, keep this as a secret between you and me, okay? It's embarrassing, but since I think you're getting freaked out by me…well, I scream like a girl when I'm scared or excited."

_Okay, obviously, I lied. _

_Please let him buy that excuse._

My fingers started fidgeting and I tried to hide them behind my back. Then, he suddenly said, "What a lame excuse."

"What, you don't believe me?" I asked him, my eyebrows furrowing as I felt the tension in the air.

"It's too hard to believe." he replied in a bored tone.

"You kiss people when you're crazy as hell drunk, don't you? that's hard to believe. If Ruka wasn't the one who told me that, I wouldn't believe you." I replied.

He glared at me and suddenly I felt like we were part of a show in the Animal Planet in which the predators capture the prey. He seemed mad at what I just said to him. "I'll call you tomorrow, loud mouth." he said.

_So does that mean he bought my lie?_

"Just shut up about my secret, or else, like I said, YOU. ARE. DEAD. TO. ME." I warned him and turned to the door to leave.

I headed home after that with three things on my mind:

_Number One: How long will this lie possibly last? _

_Number Two: I wonder if I can still make up excuses to hide my real gender._

_Number Three: I had to behave less of an idiot or else my cover will be blown soon._

* * *

The next day, I got a call from Natsume in the middle of recess time. He asked me to come over because:

Number one: Aoi was looking for me.

Number two: I had to finish my work.

Number three: I had a new job.

I can fully understand number one and two, but I wonder what number three is going to be. He usually gives me such odd jobs so it makes me kind of nervous to think what job he's planning to give me next.

**4:00 pm**

"Oniiiiiiii-chan!" The very adorable Aoi greeted as she ran and jumped at me.

"Aoi-chan, how nice to see you again." I said as I smiled at her.

If there is anything that I love about appearing in the Hyuuga residence, it's seeing Aoi. She's adorable and I wish I had a sister like her. "Where's Natsume-kun?" I asked.

"Upstairs in his room. He's waiting for you. He said you got work to do." She answered.

I smiled and said, "Yes, we do have work to do. I'll hang out with you after I talk to your big brother, okay Aoi-chan?"

She nodded and went up to her room. I headed to Natsume's room and again, I forgot to knock. "Hey." I greeted as he was looking at some papers.

"You forgot to knock again." he reminded.

I bit my lip, "Oh yeah…I forgot again."

"Hey, it's really really killing me to know what your other concern for me is right now." I told him.

"You have unfinished work, right?" he reminded.

"Of course." I replied with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. "But you said there was another job for me, I want to know what that is."

He dropped the papers on the table and asked, "Do you have a little brother or sister?"

What an odd question. "No, I don't. I'm an only child, why do you ask?"

"What do you know about kiddie parties?" he followed up.

I became weirded out by his second question even more. Then, it dawned into me that it might be Aoi's birthday. "Is it Aoi's birthday today?!" I almost panicked.

"No, it's not. It's next week, I actually just remembered this morning. I forgot to hire an events planner to take care of the party preparations. It's too late to hire one today and I'm busy." He replied.

"So what do you want me to do?" I asked him.

"Plan Aoi's 7th birthday party."

I grinned as he said that, "Will you pay me extra?" I just had to ask.

He shook his head at what I said. "You greedy idiot." He called me.

I paced the room for a bit and thought of some things I recalled from past 7th birthday parties I've been to. I stopped at my tracks and said, "So don't 7th birthday parties just have food, balloons and clowns?"

"Aoi hates clowns." He retorted.

"Okay then, I need to know what stuff she likes."

Fortunately, he suddenly pulled out a piece of paper from his drawer. "She just gave this to me this morning." He said as he handed it out to me. "It's a list of what she wants for her party."

I carefully read the list. "Balloons, food, lots of cupcakes, games and prizes, a special performance by singer, Reo Mori?" I read aloud the list, and questioned the last item.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**First of all, a big thank you to:**

**StarAngel02, angelakawaii, pukite, Cuna999, WindAssasin, 'Blue Moon and Roses', sakurahua2x, halftherainbow7, Cutenatsumexmikan, Irumi Kanzaki, Omg.Wtf.Poke, Mid-Nite-moonlite, anitsirhc, JoiZ. D, CLYDIN, Lovely C. Mercado, chris3169512, Twaelight, Masked Mistress, xAngel of deathx for reviewing the last chapter! Your reviews made me happy. =) THANK YOU. =)**

**I know Natsume's sister is only a year younger, right? But I edited her age in this fic. =) I hope ya'll don't get mad at me for that.**

**I have a TERRIBLE case of writer's block, hence, the very bad comeback chapter. I'm trying to write better chapters. I do hope I get cured of this soon. Anyway, I desperately NEED suggestions for the whole story. I wont be able to write the next chapter without any idea at all. So please just drop them in a review or Pm if you like. **

**To those who don't know, **_**Buriko **_**means a girl who acts weak and cute. Its what Natsume calls his sister in the manga as stated from Wikipedia =)**

_**Onii-chan means Big brother**_

'**till next time.**


	8. This Is Going To Be A Problem

Madness# 7: This is Going to Be a Problem

"So I'd like you to invite the boy group Hey! Say! Jump! to my party," I told my cute secretary.

"Right away," he replied with a smile.

"Hmm... my mom seems to be in a slump this week. I guess I'll buy her a new car to cheer her up," I thought out loud. "And I think I'll go on a shopping spree tomorrow after my classes in Tokyo University."

My really cute secretary entered the room and called my name, "Sakura Mikan." I smiled sweetly at him and replied with a, "Yes, what is it?"

"Sakura Mikan," he called again.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Sakura Mikan," he called again, but this time, his voice changed. It was deep set and cold, like it was scolding me.

My eyebrows furrowed at my secretary and asked, "Are you scolding me?!"

"Yes," he firmly replied.

"Why?"

"Because…" he said in a calm manner. "YOU ARE DAYDREAMING IN MY CLASS!" he yelled.

My head shot up, and my sweet, sweet daydream ended. I looked at the mad Jinno-sensei in front of me. Of all the classes, why did I have to daydream in this one? Jinno-sensei is the most notorious teacher in Suteki High. A perfectionist, certified kill-joy, and a picky teacher that most of the students hate. He seems to hate everyone, even the smart ones in class, namely my best friend, Hotaru, and the class president, Yuu.

"Gomenasai, Jinno-sensei!" I immediately asked for forgiveness.

"Sakura Mikan, if you continue on like this, you will definitely flunk my subject," he replied, as he walked towards the black board, picked up a chalk, and continued with the lesson.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that he has this hobby of humiliating people. Unfortunately, I'm the number one person he loves to humiliate.

Finally, lunch time came, and my friends – Anna, Nonoko, Yuu and Hotaru – and I headed out to the school grounds to eat our packed lunches together. We gathered in a circle and started eating. Anna and Nonoko started sharing stories when suddenly, my cellphone rang. It was Natsume, and I stood up to answer him. A few minutes later, I came back with a smile on my face.

"Hey Hotaru! You'll never guess what Natsume wants me to do for him!" I told her excitedly.

"Of course I can't guess. That guy always gives you such crazy jobs to do," she replied, as she gulped down a shrimp from her lunch.

"I'm gonna meet Reo Mori!" I beamed.

"Reo Mori?" Anna questioned.

"That's right!" I replied.

"The really hot singer who was rumored to be bisexual?" Nonoko joined in.

I gave them a funny look in return, as I replied, "Uhm… I don't find him very hot, but yeah, the singer who was rumored to be bisexual!"

"Why are you going to meet him?" Yuu asked.

I bit my lip, and then asked them, "Ever heard of Natsume Hyuuga?"

They nodded as an answer. "Isn't he the really cute 'it' guy who was rumored to be gay?" Anna asked.

Hotaru was my only friend who knew about my current job. I haven't told anyone else, since I think I'll shock other people with my crazy job. "I'm his gay lover."

Nonoko's chopsticks dropped to the ground, and Yuu almost choked. "You are… what?!" Anna asked.

"That gay lover he's rumored to be with… it's me," I answered.

"Oh, quit joking, Mikan!" Nonoko said, laughing.

"She's not kidding. This idiot was hired to pretend to be Natsume's boyfriend."

"…how?" they asked in chorus.

"You see, it's a long story…" I started and continued on telling them what happened.

Suddenly, Nonoko suddenly burst out laughing. I cocked an eyebrow at her and asked, "What's so funny?" in a confused tone.

She calmed down a bit and replied, "It's just… all the darn luck in the world has been surprisingly bestowed upon you. You and a celebrity get together in a surprisingly weird situation only seen in movies!"

"I wouldn't call myself 'lucky' at all. Natsume is such a pain in the butt."

"So why are you going to meet Reo Mori?" Anna asked.

"Natsume's little sister wants him to perform at her birthday party next week. We have to hire him," I replied.

"Wow! I'm so envious of you Mikan!" Nonoko squealed.

"There's nothing to be envious of. Do you know how many times my cover almost got blown? It's so hard acting like a boy all the time!" I complained.

"How long are you planning to live as a boy in front of Natsume?" Yuu asked.

"You know what? That's what I don't know."

At exactly 3 p.m., when the dismissal bell rang, I ran out of the classroom and school campus. I headed home, taking a cab, as to reach it faster. I changed into a red shirt, a pair of jeans, and sneakers, as well as my wig and a cap. I left a note on the fridge door, saying that I'd be home late today. Then, I took another cab and headed for Town Plaza, where I was supposed to meet Natsume.

As I paid the cab driver and waited for my change, I spotted Natsume (still wearing his school uniform) standing in front of his jet black car. When I got my change, I stepped out of the cab and walked to him. He was glancing at his watch, probably checking the time, and then noticed me. "What took you so long?!" was his greeting.

"Hi. It's nice to see you too," I replied with sarcasm in my voice. "I'm sorry. I just came from school, you know, and I had to go home to do some stuff."

"Let's go. We're gonna be late," he said, as he opened the door and entered the car. I followed him, and when we were settled, the car quickly drove off.

I fished out my notebook and pen from my backpack and browsed the list of things needed for Aoi's birthday party. "Natsume, where are we heading today?" I asked him.

"To Reo Mori," he simply replied.

"Only him?"

He looked at me and asked, "Why? Are we supposed to meet someone else?"

"It's just that I was hoping to stop by the caterer, party store, and toy store."

"Toy store?" he questioned.

I nodded my head. "I was hoping to buy the prizes for the games there."

"I got work to do, loud mouth," he replied.

"Hey, stop calling me that!" I almost yelled.

"Why?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Because I'm not a loud mouth!" I protested.

"As if," he said sarcastically.

I gritted my teeth in rage. "You're so immature," I commented. "We have to stop by the others, okay?"

"Whatever, but you're helping me with the office work later too."

Minutes later, we arrived at a building. I gazed upon it from the window; it looked so much like a corporate office. We stepped out and made our way into the building. Natsume presented an I.D. to the receptionist and told her that we had an appointment with Reo Mori. The receptionist clarified the appointment, and we then headed towards the elevator. We arrived at the 10th floor and headed to this unit with the number "828" on the door. To my surprise, the unit was actually a large recording studio and lounge. I looked around and to my surprise, it wasn't just a recording studio; it's Tokyo Pop's office. Tokyo Pop is the record label of so many hot singers in Japan.

"Reo's waiting for you in the second lounge," a girl dressed in corporate attire informed us.

I followed Natsume and spotted Reo Mori sitting on a couch, wearing a slightly unbuttoned white polo with a dark brown unbuttoned vest over it. He also wore light blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. He had a piercing on his left ear and his hair was dark brown in color. To put it simply, he looked good.

"Natsume Hyuuga, huh?" he asked, extending his hand for a handshake.

Natsume shook his hand and replied with a, "Yeah."

Reo set his eyes on me. "Who's this?" he asked, smiling at me.

I smiled at him and answered, "Sakura Mikan. Natsume's assistant."

"Please sit down," Reo told us, and Natsume and I sat on the couch in front of him.

Upon seeing Reo sit with his legs apart – and Natsume as well – I copied them, so that maybe I could appear more like a boy with my actions.

"So what is it you want from me?" Reo asked.

I cleared my throat and replied, "It's Aoi Hyuuga's – that's Natsume's sister – birthday next Saturday, and we would like to hire you to perform at her party."

"How old is she?" he asked.

"She's turning 7," Natsume answered.

"I see. Alright, I'm free that day. I'll do the performance."

I smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Mori-san!"

"Just clarify the rate of my services with my manager, as well as the time and venue of the party over there by the counter," he instructed.

Natsume and I stood up. "Thanks again, Mori-san," I said. Natsume started heading for the counter, as I followed up behind him. Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm and stopped me at my tracks. I turned and saw Reo smiling at me. "What is it?" I asked.

"You'll be at the party, right?" he asked.

I looked at him with a doubtful expression on my face. "Yes, I will be there. Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to get to know you more," he said as he ran his hand through my cheek and gave it a light slap.

I shivered as he did that. "Why?" I asked him. Then, he whispered in my ear, "Just between you and me, you're a cute guy."

"A-a-are you…" I said, and then whispered, "…gay?"

He chuckled. "No!" he answered, and then whispered back, "but haven't you heard the news about me? What they say about me?"

I shrugged my shoulders and nonchalantly answered, "Well, I heard that they say you're bisexual."

Oh. My. Goodness.

"…Exactly," he confirmed with a smile and let go of me. "See you next Saturday," he added, walking away.

I felt my feet turn cold at what just happened. So… what just happened?

"Oi, baka!" Natsume called. I shook my head to get a hold of myself and walked towards him in the counter. We settled the details with Reo's manager, and when everything was done, we exited the office and the building.

I sat back, the incident between me and Reo playing over and over in my mind like a broken record. "Baka, where are we going next?" I heard Natsume ask. Unfortunately, my mind felt like Jell-o with the thought that Reo probably liked me… as a boy.

Natsume snapped his fingers in front of me. "What is it?" I asked him.

"Where are we going next?" he asked again, sounding pissed off.

"Oh," I said, slapping my forehead with an open palm. "To…uhm, this address." And I handed a piece of paper to the driver. The driver read the address and we drove off.

"What's wrong with you?" Natsume asked.

"It's nothing," I replied, still feeling disturbed.

"Don't let it affect work. We're wasting time because you're spaced out."

I clenched my fists at his arrogance. "Don't be so mean. This is the only time I've spaced out, you idiot!"

"You're gay, aren't you?" he asked, sending me a glare.

"I'm not!" I protested.

"I saw you flirting with Reo Mori a while back."

I sighed. "He was the one flirting with me!"

"You liked it anyway, so it means you're… you know."

"I didn't! That's the reason why I'm so spaced out… it's because what he did totally creeped me out, dude!"

"You better not be gay, or else I'll beat you up for lying to me," he said.

I turned to the window and secretly gulped, as I felt myself sweat-dropping. Oh, I'm not worried about being gay. I'm worried that I'm a girl, and I'm lying to this war freak, who loves getting his way all the time.

So we made our stops at the caterer, the party store, and the rest to make arrangements. I tried my best to forget about that weird encounter with Reo Mori earlier that day. After everything was done, we arrived at the Hyuuga residence.

"What am I going to help you with?" I asked Natsume, as we made our way to his room. There was no sign of Aoi as of yet.

"You have to type up business letters and e-mail them to the companies," he replied, opening the door to his room.

"Alright then. That would be easy!" I exclaimed.

"Don't be so sure of yourself. There are a lot of companies linked into the business, so you've got a lot to type and e-mail," he warned, as he started unbuttoning his school uniform top. I looked away as he got changed right in front of me. I felt my cheeks flush as I inevitably caught a glimpse of his toned chest and fine abs.

Darn it.

After he got changed, he set up the laptop. "Here's the folder where the drafted business letters are," he said as he handed it over. "Here's also the e-mail addresses you'll need to send the individual letters to. Take note of each company name, okay?" he added, as he handed me a long sheet of paper.

I sat on the chair and waited for the laptop to start up. "Which e-mail account will I use?"

"Oh, I'll log in," he replied, coming closer to me. He bent over to type in the website and logged into his e-mail account. Once again, I felt my cheeks flush, especially when I started smelling his perfume. He smelled like freshly cut grass and Old Spice.

"You sick or something?" he asked.

"Huh? Why would I be?" I asked him, confused.

"You're red," he noted.

"It's because… you stink. I'm suffocating here!" I said, pretending to barf.

"I do not!" he argued with me.

"Yes, you do!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Oh, shut up. I'll take a shower just to keep your loud mouth shut," he said, heading to the bathroom.

I sighed and shook my head. Okay, so he didn't really stink in the first place, but I had to do something or else he might get suspicious. I carried on with my work, typing away, as I heard the running water inside Natsume's bathroom.

Minutes later, I accidentally logged out of the e-mail account. "Natsume!" I yelled.

"What now?"

"I accidentally logged out."

"Idiot," he commented.

"Shut up. I'm not an idiot!" I shot back at him.

I suddenly felt a drop of water on my arm. I turned my head and saw Natsume arching towards the laptop, typing the e-mail account and password once more. He was wearing nothing but a towel on his waist, still dripping wet. "Get changed, will you?! You're dripping wet!" I complained.

"Whatever," he replied, entering his walk-in closet to pick out his clothes and get changed.

'Oh man. If he keeps this up, it's going to get harder keeping my real gender a secret,' I thought to myself.

I glanced at the clock and I was surprised to see that it was already 8 pm. As if on cue, my stomach growled. Natsume, who was on the bed, studying some charts printed on a white paper, heard it and asked, "You're hungry?"

I rolled my eyes and replied, "Obviously."

He had dinner brought up to his room. The two of us ate, while I worked and he studied. "Ugh! There are so many companies to e-mail letters to!" I complained, patting my sore neck.

"I told you to not be sure of yourself," he mumbled.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

10 p.m. I was almost done with my work. I stopped for a moment to rest. I turned to Natsume to check on him and… saw him lying on the bed, with the paper he was studying a while ago on his face. "Oh great! He fell asleep!" I complained. I stood up and walked to him.

I shook him to wake him up. "Natsume!" I called, but he wouldn't even budge.

"Natsume, Natsume!" I kept on calling. "Great. I can't believe he's such a heavy sleeper!" I groaned.

"NAT-SU-ME!" I yelled this time. He stirred a little, but didn't fully wake up. "What are you? Dead?" I said, though I knew he wasn't because I could still see him breathing. I bent closer to his face and yelled "NAT-SU-ME!" once more.

He suddenly yelled, "SHUT UP!", and his fist crashed like a humongous rock on my cheek.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey Y'all what's up? Thanks to those who reviewed and especially to those who suggested! I got great ideas and some new ones are already brewing up in my mind. I tried my best in this chapter and I'm afraid that I'm making Natsume too out of character. Well...am I? I'd like to thank my beta, Masked Mistress for fixing my flaws in grammar and all that shizz. Well, I hope I pleased you guys! Drop a review, okay? **


	9. A Weird Encounter

Madness # 8: A Weird Encounter

"Ugh!" I immediately jerked when I felt something cold up against my sore and swelling cheek. I opened my eyes bit by bit and everything was blurry. I felt incredibly sick and wasted as if I was wiped out or drugged. I carefully opened my mouth to ask, or rather, mumble, "Whuhappened?"

"You were knocked out," I heard Natsume answer.

I felt a gush of pain on my face, particularly my cheek, and I groaned. I wanted to well up in tears and cry, but even crying would hurt. "Natsume, you suck!" I managed to joke.

"You shouldn't have woken me up in the first place," he replied.

"You idiot! You hired me to wake you up, remember?" I reminded him, sitting up.

He completely ignored my last remark. "Say you're sorry for punching me!" I told him.

It was as if I wasn't even there. "Say you're sorry! You hurt me!" I told him, grabbing him by the shirt.

He pushed my hands away. "What's your problem?!"

"You won't say sorry!" I yelled, as I grabbed his shirt again.

He pushed my hands away again. "Get off!" he yelled back.

"What's wrong with you? You're becoming extremely rude, you know!"

"Go home already!" he said angrily.

"Not until you say you're sorry!"

"You're fired then!" he said firmly.

"Why?" I asked.

He gave me a death glare. "You're giving me a headache."

I stood there, extremely pissed at his arrogance. "Great! I'm totally free!" I yelled with evident sarcasm in my voice. I walked to the door and just before I turned the doorknob, I turned to him and said, "Do you even know what an "apology" is? I was waiting for that, Natsume."

I left the room, not even waiting for a reply. I just know that he wouldn't even bother to reply anyway. I stormed out of his house. I practically walked a few miles before I realized that walking all the way to my house would be far too exhausting and dangerous at this time of night. I took a cab and headed home.

I arrived at my house, still pissed at what happened. I just didn't understand why he didn't even bother to say sorry. After punching me in the face and getting myself bruised, he didn't even attempt to apologize, and he suddenly gets mad at me. He's unfair, he calls me an idiot, but when it's my turn to call him an idiot, he gets mad.

"UGH, THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!" I yelled, in front of my doorstep.

The door suddenly opened and I saw Okaa-san standing there, wearing a robe with her beauty cream plastered on her face. "Sorry I'm late," I told her.

"Mikan, why are you dressed like that?" she asked me curiosly. "And what's with the constant late-nighters?"

I groaned as I prepared my ears for a lecture. "You're not stealing stuff, are you?" she asked worriedly.

I stepped in the house and answered, "No I'm not!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for an explanation. The first thing that came into my mind was to create a lie since I'm really not in the mood for a lecture if she found out what weird job I had gotten myself into. "I'm working at as a secretary in a party store."

"Then why do you have a wig on? And why do you have a bruise on your cheek?!" she panicked, noticing the trace of black and blue on my face.

"I fell down the stairs at work; it's not a big deal. You see Mom, they look down upon female employees! I want them to think that I'm a boy so that I'd get respected!"

"I don't think it's wise that you continue working like that. What if they found out your true gender? I want you to quit that job right away, okay?"

I remained silent. Somehow, the words "I got fired" couldn't come out of my mouth. I turned my back on her and walked up the stairs.

"Mikan, I have good news for you, by the way," she said, her expression of worry changing into a smile.

"Really? What is it?" I responded, trying to sound very interested, even though I wasn't really in the mood for anything.

"I'm signing a contract with a client tomorrow! A big company is interested in buying the cosmetics I'm selling!"

I tried to smile. "That's great."

"We're having dinner with them tomorrow, so come home early after school!"

The next day, I woke up, still pissed about last night's events. I was so frustrated and exhausted that I immediately fell asleep. I got ready for school and had breakfast.

"I'm going now!" I yelled as I was changing my shoes.

"Don't forget to come home early!" Mom yelled back.

The day went by slower than I expected. I got extremely bored by the subjects as usual. From time to time, I'd get pissed whenever I would recall what happened the night before. I tried to forget about it. Anyways, why would I let Natsume bother me? I went home immediately after school, just like what Okaa-san instructed.

"I'm back!" I yelled as I entered the house.

I heard voices, one of them I'm sure was Mom's and the other belonged to a lady I don't know. I left my bag in the doorway and entered the dining area. There I saw my mom, and seated in front of her was a lady who looked like she was in her late 30s. She had long blonde hair; she was thin and beautiful. She didn't look Japanese that much. She looked more like a foreigner or something. Then, I noticed someone else in the room.

It can't be. It musn't be…him.

"Mikan-chan!" my mom greeted, and the two unfamiliar guests turned their attention to me.

Mom stood up and introduced me, "This is my daughter, Mikan."

"Ah, how lovely," the other lady complimented.

My mom managed to hit my elbow and signal me to respond to that compliment. "Ah… arigato gozaimasu!"

"Mikan-chan, this is Mrs. Nogi, and with her is her son, Ruka. You know what? Ruka's the same age as you!" she said cheerfully.

"You don't say?" I replied, a very mild tone of sarcasm in my voice.

Suddenly, my cell phone rang. "Uhm… excuse me I have to answer a call," I told them and exited the room.

I rummaged through my school bag, looking for the cell phone. Surprisingly, it was Yuu calling me.

"Hello? Yuu?"

"Mikan, you won't be able to do your math homework tonight," he said.

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Because you left your notebook with me when you were asking me to tutor you in school."

"Oh… it's fine. I'll just do it tomorrow morning."

"I just wanted to let you know. See you tomorrow," he said and hung up.

"Mikan-chan, come over here!" my mom called.

I immediately walked to the kitchen, leaving my cell phone on a table located near the doorway. My mom instructed me to help her check if the food she was cooking were ready, because soon, we would be having dinner. I rushed to the kitchen, trying to avoid a conversation with Ruka in the dining area. If it was possible, I'd want to stay there until they would leave.

About ten minutes later, I exited the kitchen and whispered to my mom that the meal was almost ready. I looked around and Ruka wasn't anywhere to be found. "Where's Ruka?" I asked.

"Oh, he went to the bathroom," Mrs. Nogi answered.

The first thing on my mind was to hide in my room and pretend to be sick just to avoid eating dinner with them. I left the dining area and rushed to the doorway to get my school bag. Unluckily, Ruka was there with my cell phone on his hand. "That's mine!" I said as I grabbed my school bag from the floor.

"Mikan Sakura," he said. "You liar."

"What?"

He flashed my cell phone at me, and the first thing I saw on screen was a missed call from Natsume. I grabbed the cell phone from him and secured it in my pocket. "Nice seeing you. Bye," I told him and took a step forward. He immediately grabbed my arm before I had the chance to move to another room.

"Why?" he asked me.

"Why what?" I asked him innocently.

"Don't pretend like you don't get me. Why did you lie to Natsume?"

I sighed. I guess it's already pretty obvious if I cover up the truth anyway. "I needed that job, Ruka. Natsume hired me because he thinks I'm a boy who's perfect to play the role of his gay lover. If he found out right now that I'm a girl, he'll get mad and probably sue me or something."

"Why didn't you tell him the truth from the start?" he asked.

"I was afraid that there would be a chance that I wouldn't get the job," I replied.

He stood there silently, listening to my explanations. Suddenly, he took out his cell phone. I panicked, "You're not calling him, right?"

"I can't just keep this from him. That would be LYING as well," he said, as he searched for Natsume's number.

I grabbed his hand, stopping him from making that call. "Please Ruka, don't tell him!" I begged.

"Let go!" he ordered.

"Oh, come on! Do you know how much trouble I'll be in if he finds out the truth?"

"But—" he tried to contradict.

"I can't afford to be in any more trouble other than my family's financial problems." I said, holding on to his hands tighter. "Please…"

I saw his face turn a shade of red. He let go of my hands, then told me, "Alright, but if he finds out the truth about you, I never knew anything."

I let go of his hands and smiled at him. "Thanks a lot."

He returned his cell phone to his pocket. "I don't know why Natsume just called me when I got fired yesterday," I told him as I browsed through the missed calls list on my cell phone.

His eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "You got fired?"

"We had an argument last night, and he said that I was fired."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!" I defended. "You see this?" I pointed at the bruise. "I told my mom that I fell down the stairs, but actually, I got this because Natsume punched me in the face when I was trying to wake him up."

He chuckled at what I said. I raised an eyebrow at him, "It's not funny! He didn't even say sorry to me, and that's the reason why we argued."

"You do know that Natsume is a Hyuuga, right?" he asked.

"Of course," I answered nonchalantly. "Why?"

"The Hyuuga family is a proud clan. They don't apologize to just anyone even if sometimes they're wrong."

I raised an eyebrow at what he just said. "That's pathetic," I commented.

"Well, that's the way they were raised," he explained. "By the way, you have such a long hair. How do you keep it short when you're with Natsume?"

"I wear a wig, of course."

"But… doesn't it ever fall off?"

I smiled at him and replied, "My best friend is a genius at inventing things. She invented the wig and the terrific thing about it is that it only comes off when you use a special kind of hair gel she makes."

"How old is your best friend?"

"She's 17, like us."

"... and she's a genius?"

"That's right," I answered confidently.

The door opened and my mom peeked in. "Mikan-chan, it's time to eat dinner. Ruka, come along now," she told us. I signaled Ruka to come along, and I headed for the dining area.

In the middle of dinner and the conversation about pricing and cosmetics, my cell phone rang. I fished it from my pocket and took a peek of who it might be. My LCD displayed "Natsume". Oh great, I wonder what he wants this time. I excused myself from the dinner table to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Onii-chan?" a cute voice asked.

"Who is this?"

"Onii-chan! This is Aoi."

I was surprised to hear her on the other line. "Aoi-chan! Why are you using your brother's cell phone?"

"Well, I don't have a cell phone yet! They said I'm too young to have one."

"So why did you call?" I asked her.

"Onii-chan, are you free tonight? Can we go shopping for my birthday dress?"

I chuckled at what she just said. "Aoi, why me?"

"Because Otou-san isn't here in Japan, and no one will tell me if I look good on a dress or not!"

"Then why not Natsume?"

"He's weird. All dresses look the same to him!"

I sighed and glanced at my watch. It was only 6 pm and still early. "Alright Aoi-chan," I agreed.

"HURRAY!" she squealed. "We'll pick you up right away!"

"No, wait! Why don't we just meet at the mall? I have to fix some things first before I get there."

"Okay then, meet us at the entrance of Tokyo Mall at exactly 6:30 pm!"

"I'll see you then."

Right after that call, I headed over to the dining room and told my mom that I promised to meet a friend at the mall. My mom isn't really that strict on me, so she quickly agreed. I said goodbye to Mrs. Nogi and Ruka as well and then rushed to my room. I immediately got ready with the usual outfits for a boy. Then, I took a cab and headed to the mall.

I saw Aoi and behind her was Natsume. "Were you waiting long?" I asked Aoi.

"No, we just got here!" she replied cheerfully. "What's wrong with your cheek?!" she asked in a panicked tone.

Natsume and I glared at each other for a second. "It's nothing; I just fell down the stairs!" I assured Aoi playfully. I picked her up and carried her on an arm. "Shall we go then?" I asked her.

We hopped from boutique to boutique. Aoi had her eye on many dresses, all with incredibly high prices. Oh well. They're rich anyway, and it's her birthday so she has the right to splurge. "Onii-chan! I'll try this dress on, okay?" she said.

"You don't need help?" I asked her.

"No, I'm a big girl already, you know!" she replied proudly and skipped to the dressing room.

I sat down on a bench beside Natsume. "Did you use Aoi to let me come here?" I asked him.

He didn't respond. "You wanna hire me again, don't you?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"Don't be silly; I'm not letting you quit without finishing your work. It's not like I want to hire you again," he replied.

"What work?"

"You planned Aoi's birthday and her party isn't over yet. You can't be officially fired until it's over. You'll be officially fired right after her birthday."

Fired. The word sank into me like a big battleship after a devastating blow. "Is your father going to be around on Aoi's birthday?" I asked him.

"No," he simply replied.

"What? I can't believe he would miss his daughter's 7th birthday!" I exclaimed.

Aoi came out with a beautiful pink spaghetti-strapped dress on. "I like this!" she declared.

I smiled at her and replied, "I think it's perfect."

At 8:17 pm, we decided to head home. From a distance, I saw Natsume's driver waiting at the mall entrance. Natsume headed over before us and got something from his driver. I was surprised when he handed me my bag. "Oh yeah, I left it in your room last night!" I said, grabbing it from him.

"Onii-chan, you'll come to my party, right?" Aoi asked.

I ruffled her hair and replied, "Of course."

* * *

**Author's note: Hi everyone! how was it? liked it? hated it? leave a review and make me happy and inspired! haha. I want to thank those who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are THE best. Till the next chapter!  
**


	10. Aoichan's 7th Birthday!

Madness # 9 : Aoi-chan's 7th birthday

I gazed at my image on the mirror. I sighed as I stared at myself wearing a pair of light blue jeans, white sneakers, and an oversized, plain, white shirt with a plain, dark blue, zip-up, sleeveless hoodie jacket over it. I grabbed my wig and shoved it in my backpack. Afterwards, I headed out door.

"I'm going out!" I yelled as I wore my shoes and got ready to head out the door.

"Where are you going today? To the mall?" my mom asked as she came out of the kitchen.

"No, to a friend's birthday party."

"Oh! Do you have a gift for her already?" she asked me.

"Uhm…no, I forgot."

She placed her hands over her chest and gave me a stern look. "You know you shouldn't go to birthday parties if you don't have a gift!" she scolded.

"I know. I'll buy one before I get there," I replied and exited.

Okay, so I forgot to buy Aoi a present. I took a cab to Town Plaza, since it was the only place along the way to Natsume's house. I had the cab driver wait for me, while I ran towards the café and ordered a box of gingerbread man cookies wrapped up. Afterwards, I headed to the Hyuuga residence. On the way there, I took out the wig from my bag and put it on. I styled it with an ordinary hair gel, and I was set for the party.

When I got there, I noticed all the maids were lined up on the front door. I stepped out of the taxi, and they ushered me in. One of them told me that Natsume was already in the garden, looking over all the preparations. I haven't been to their garden, so a maid led me there.

Men carried balloons, while the ladies tied them to the chairs. The tables were covered with pink tablecloth, and the plates and utensils were set as well. There were vases of fresh and colorful flowers on the tables too. There was a small stage that was designed with a pink chair, with balloons surrounding it, and yards of pink and purple fabric. The place looked like it was ready for a big garden party.

"What took you so long to get here?" Natsume suddenly barked at me.

"Sorry, but I lost track of time," I replied simply.

"Here," he said, shoving a piece of paper on my shoulder. "I gotta go dress up. Make sure everything is ready."

He left me with a piece of paper that was the checklist of the items needed in the party. The boxes of cupcakes were delivered and set-up along with the birthday cake. I assured that the sound system was working perfectly well; the food and waiters were ready for the guests, and everything was okay.

Soon, the guests started coming in. I glanced at my watch and wondered at the same time what took Natsume so long to get dressed. Anyway, I decided to look for Aoi in the house. I made my way up the stairs and into her room. I knocked on the door, and she opened up for me.

"Onii-chan?" she questioned.

"Happy birthday!" I greeted ecstatically. "So, are you ready?"

She smiled and let me in her room. "I think I am ready!" she replied, excitement obvious in her voice.

"Well, you are looking very pretty. You're just like a princess, Aoi-chan."

She twirled around and placed her hands on her hips. "Shall we go?" I asked her.

She extended her hand to me, and I held it. We exited her room and made our way down to the party. There were children, boys and girls, running and playing around the venue. There were also adults, probably the parents of the children, and teenagers, maybe the siblings of the children. I left Aoi at the garden entrance headed for the stage to grab the mic.

"Guests, please welcome to Aoi Hyuuga's 7th birthday!" I said. That moment, the children were being hushed by their guardians. "I'd like you all to meet our princess, our celebrant for the day, Aoi!" I added as I flung my left arm onto Aoi's direction to welcome her.

She walked down the aisle and onto the stage. I had her sit down on the pink chair. "First of all, all children please go to the stage area," I announced.

The children gathered noisily to the stage area. I could tell most of them were excited already. "Everyone, our first game is "Bring Me" !" I told them.

The children became extremely noisy and ecstatic about the game. It took me a while to calm them down. I explained the mechanics to them, and then started the game.

After two more games, I decided that everyone should eat already. "Okay everyone, that wraps up the first part of the party. Guests, I implore you to help yourselves to the food. Afterwards, we'll be going on to the second part of our party," I announced.

Aoi tugged my pants lightly. I looked at her and asked, "What is it?"

"I'll be sitting with my friends over there," she said, pointing to a table.

I smiled at her. "That's great. Would you like me to help you get some food?"

She nodded her head in reply. I looked around, strangely, Natsume still wasn't around. I grabbed a plate and had a waiter fill it up with every food item available. Afterwards, I accompanied Aoi to her table, and I headed out the garden.

"Have you seen Natsume?" I asked the maid.

"No, sir. I haven't."

The first thing I thought of was to go to his room. I opened the door and saw him laid down on his bed. He suddenly sat up upon realizing that someone just opened his door.

"Knock," he said.

"Oops," I muttered in embarrassment. "I forgot."

I took a few steps towards him as I asked, "What's taking you so long to go downstairs? The party started half an hour ago!"

He then glanced at the wall clock, "I lost track of time."

"What have you been up to?" I asked, anticipating a reply. The reply didn't come though, and I took a few steps towards him and looked around. I noticed notes on the table about meetings and all that. "Cut yourself some slack; it's your sister's birthday!" I told him.

"Otou-san forgot it was Aoi's birthday today," he told me, as I saw him take ahold of his cell phone as if he was attempting to crush it into a million pieces.

I sighed. "My father left us when I was 10 years old. Since then, he never ever greeted me 'happy birthday' again. Naturally, I was devastated. However, I was even more devastated when I found out that he took half of our savings to run off to another country. "

He turned to his study table and placed the cell phone on top of it. "I could tell that Aoi is already sad with the fact that her dad isn't here. The last thing Aoi needs today is something to make her feel even more devastated because her father even forgot her special day."

I turned the knob and decided to exit the room. "I'll see you downstairs." With that said, I left.

I returned to the venue and somehow, I lost my excitement. I hated remembering and dwelling on the past memories of my father. I wasn't angry at him for some reason, but rather, I was so disappointed and heartbroken. I just couldn't accept the fact that of all the people I would trust, he had to betray not only me, but my mom as well.

I felt someone lay a hand on my neck. I turned and saw Ruka. "I'm not that late, am I?" he asked.

I turned my frown into a smile and replied, "Not really."

He placed his hands on his pockets and looked around. "Where's Natsume?"

"Here," Natsume replied, coming out of the door.

"You guys should start eating," I told them, grabbing a plate for the three of us.

After we got our food, the three of us settled down in an empty table and started eating.

"Natsume," a girl said.

The three of us looked at her. She was just so…pretty. She had long, brown, wavy hair tied in a half-ponytail, cherry red lips, and fair skin. She wore a white, flowy dress and a pair of silver heels. She looked really rich or at least just about Natsume's level of standard.

"Sophie," Ruka blurted out.

Who is she? I thought to myself, gazing at her elegance.

"Ruka, it's been a while," she answered coolly.

"What are you doing here?" Natsume asked, with a slight hint of irritation in his voice.

"Well, our sisters are friends after all. In addition to that, our families happen to be friends!" Sophie replied, stroking her long, elegant hair.

"Mikan Sakura?" I heard a male voice call, or rather, ask my name.

I looked around and saw Reo Mori along with his manager and bodyguards at his side. I didn't want to leave the table, I wanted to know more about who this Sophie was. However, "Excuse me; I have something to attend to," I said, standing up and leaving the table.

"Mi-kan." Reo greeted, trying to sound loving and cute.

I bowed down and said, "Mori-san." And I greeted this manager and bodyguard as well.

"Are we late?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not at all." Some guests started diverting their attention to us; I quickly grabbed Reo by the shoulders and pushed him into the house.

"What's wrong?" he asked, smiling.

"You're supposed to be a surprise for Aoi-chan!" I answered, placing my hands over my chest.

"What time do I come out then?" he asked.

"I'll be starting the second half of the games now. After that, I'll be picking you up here."

"You'll escort me to the stage?" he asked with a grin.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Yeah, whatever. For the meantime, I'll have some waiters attend to you." I turned my back on them and sighed. Honestly, Reo was starting to creep me out. I'm not sure why though.

On my way to the stage, I couldn't help but glance at Natsume's table. Sophie was already sitting down on the seat next to Natsume. They were talking, well, mostly Sophie was. I grabbed the mic and tried my best to be in a hyper mood.

"Alright everyone, it's time to play the next game. Brace yourselves! It's going to be challenging and fun!"

The second part of the party ended and I hurriedly walked back to the house to fetch Reo Mori. "I'm sorry if I took so long," I apologized.

"It's no big deal," he replied as he stood up from the couch.

"What are you going to sing?" I asked him.

He held my chin and winked at me. "Just you wait," he said.

"Stop that!" I yelled, pushing his hand away. He pouted a little, and I have to admit, he's not bad looking. He was actually really cute, although the things he did to me was a total turn-off. Especially since he sees me as a guy.

"Mikan?" he called.

I walked with him to the stage. The teenagers shrieked upon seeing him. They called out his name with an "I love you!" or "Reo! Daisuki!" following afterwards. I grabbed the microphone once more and introduced him. I took a deep breath and smiled, "I could tell that everyone in here is such a fan of Reo Mori! Well then, I won't let myself get in the way. Let's all welcome Reo Mori!"

I gave Reo the mic and walked out of the stage.

"Thank you, Mikan," he said. "Now, I understand that the birthday girl is a big fan of my music?" he questioned.

"That's right!" Aoi shouted with glee.

Reo chuckled. "Well then, what's your favorite song?"

"Kiss Me, Baby!" she replied.

"Alright then, happy birthday Aoi-chan! I hope you enjoy this!" he responded, as the music started playing.

Teenagers and kids flooded the space right below the stage. They loved Reo Mori. They sang along and danced with him. I headed to my table, sitting beside Ruka.

After a few fast songs, Reo introduced his new song. "I'd like to introduce to you my new song. It's my first time to sing it in front of an audience. Everyone, I hope you enjoy my new single, Smile."

"I never knew Aoi liked Reo Mori," Ruka commented.

"I had no idea either until I heard it from Natsume."

"Ne, Natsume. You'll dance with me, won't you?" I heard Sophie ask him.

I took a glance and anticipated Natsume's answer. "Won't you?" Sophie asked again, pouting her lips and giving him her version of "puppy dog eyes".

Okay, first of all, seeing it live and just a few centimeters away left me thinking only one thing.

**_Yuck._**

Natsume stood up, and they headed over to where the guests were slow-dancing. I looked at Ruka and said, "I can't believe Natsume said yes to her!"

He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I guess it was out of respect, Sophie is Natsume's ex-girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend?" I clarified.

"That's right. They broke up about last year, I think."

I stood up after he said that. "What's wrong?" he asked me.

"Wanna get some dessert?" I asked him with a grin.

Ruka and I grabbed a piece of cupcake each and didn't even bother to use a plate. The two of us just stood beside the buffet table, watching the people dance to Reo's heavenly voice.

_If only I could tell you, what your smile did to me._

_It ripped my heart out of misery._

_I don't even know if what I'm feeling is true,_

_But all I know is, your smile made me fall for you._

My eyes landed on Sophie, wrapping her arms tighter around Natsume's neck. I unknowingly grabbed another cupcake and took a big bite, savoring the chocolate filling inside. I then noticed Natsume wrap his arms around her waist. I clenched a fist, not minding the cupcake I was crushing in my hand.

For some weird reason… actually, I really don't know. I wanted to take my wig off and kick Sophie out, taking her place with Natsume.

…. That didn't seem right. I must be high on sugar.

I'm such an idiot.

"Uhm…Mikan, your hand," Ruka told me, staring at my chocolate and purple icing-filled hand.

"I know!" I impulsively said, as I unknowingly whammed my stained hand at his face.

I gasped at what I just did. "Oh no." I gulped. "I'm so sorry!" I added, bending down to ask for forgiveness.

"It's okay, Mikan," he said.

I stood up, and then he suddenly shoved a new cupcake directly at my face.

We both wiped the chocolate (well, at least tried to) off of our faces with our hands. Then, we both grabbed hold of another cupcake from the buffet table and started hitting each other. The music suddenly died and Ruka and I stopped to look around. Everyone stared back at us, and we felt more embarrassed than ever.

"It's a cupcake fight!" Aoi declared as she came running to the buffet, grabbing a cupcake and hitting her friends.

I laughed out loud when I saw Aoi got hit by two cupcakes at the same time. Ruka and I laughed even more when the two of us were hit by others we didn't even know. The party had turned out to be a really messy but fun one. I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw Sophie got her clean white dress ruined by the multiple colored icings from the cupcakes. Natsume though, looked obviously bored and indifferent with what was happening.

When the party was over, all the guests went home sticky, with the tracings of icing and chocolate on their clothes and faces. Well, all of them except Ruka, Sophie, her sister, and Reo had gone home.

"I sure didn't expect that to happen," Reo suddenly told me, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I placed my hands together as I said, "Gomenasai! I really didn't intend to ruin your performance, honest!"

He placed a hand on my cheek, wiping of the traces of pink icing. "It's alright. The song was about to be over when the cupcake fight started anyway."

I pushed his hand away. "Sorry, Reo."

A smirk etched on his face, "You're not into this are you? You're straight, and I bet you have a girlfriend."

I chuckled, "Oh no, I don't. I'm not in any relationship."

Well, am I?

_Does pretending to be Natsume's gay lover count?_

_Duh, Mikan. Of course not. That's why it's PRETEND._

_Sheesh._

"Then you're just not into this." he concluded. He sighed, "That's such a shame. However, you should be honored that a guy like me likes you. It's a rare chance that I run into a boy and get attracted to him."

I bit my lip and my fingers fidgeted. "Gomenasai…" I said, almost in whisper.

"It's fine," he replied with a smile. "But you know, there's just something about you… that makes you too cute to be a boy."

I got alarmed when he said that. "But oh well, I guess you just really happen to be a pretty boy."

"Mori-kun!" his manager called him.

"Until next time, Sakura-chan," he said, walking away.

I sighed and decided to head for the bathroom to wash up. I bumped into Sophie's sister, who was also on her way to the bathroom. Minutes later, I decided to check out on Aoi, who was opening presents with Ruka. I passed by the living room and saw Natsume kissing Sophie.

Natsume. Kissing. Sophie.

I stopped on my tracks, and as if right on cue, Natsume pulled back from the kiss. You know the live street shows that you couldn't help but stop and stare at? Well, this was like one. I gaped at seeing Natsume kiss a girl, more importantly, his ex-girlfriend.

EX-GIRLFRIEND.

THERE'S A REASON WHY IT'S CALLED "EX", SO WHY WERE THEY MAKIN' OUT?

"What?" Sophie asked me with a big grin on her face.

"No-thing." I replied as I marched my way out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Ruka asked, as he saw me seemingly frustrated.

I sat down on the chairs with them and asked, "Didn't you say Sophie was an ex-girlfriend?"

"That's right," he answered.

My eyebrows furrowed. "Then why were they just making out?"

Then, someone slapped the back of my head. "We weren't making out, stupid."

It was Natsume. He pulled a chair and sat beside his sister, who was opening presents. "Aoi-san, thanks for inviting me!" Sophie's sister yelled.

"Sure!" she yelled back with a smile. "See you in school!"

"I'm gonna get some more presents!" Aoi beamed as she bounced over to the stage, getting ready to search for big boxes in the pile of gifts.

"You were making out with Sophie?" Ruka asked Natsume.

"I was not," he answered.

"He was. I saw him."

"She kissed me," Natsume told us.

Ruka smirked, "So she wanted to get back together?"

Natsume just looked away. "What did you say then?" he asked him.

"No."

"Why not?" I asked him.

"Because. I have a gay lover, don't I?" he replied nonchalantly.

"It's not like it's real!" I yelled at him in defense, but actually, I felt the muscles on my mouth closely form a smile.

"Right, but you're still my excuse for driving away stupid ex-girlfriends like Sophie. So, you still come in handy."

"Didn't you fire me?"

"You're hired again."

"What?! You can't just fire me then hire me again!" I complained.

"You're HIRED," he enunciated.

"I am FIRED," I barked back.

"I'll double the salary."

Suddenly, I felt the rush of the "Hotaru Sickness". I call it Hotaru Sickness when I get the urge to think of dollar signs in my eyes.

Double the salary means saving up for college money faster.

Double the salary means getting to buy things that I want, not just because I need it.

I bit my lip. It only took one word to seal the deal. However, I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. Oh well, WHO CARES? I NEED IT ANYWAY! And of course, I want to continue seeing Aoi and Natsume.

Scratch the Natsume part… I think.

"F-f-fine," I stammered.

"Oh, and STOP flirting. The media's going to doubt "our relationship" if they see you flirt with another person."

I crossed my arms over my chest, "I do not flirt!"

"As if. I saw you with Reo," he replied.

"… and it's not like there's a MEDIA PERSON in here!" I blurted out.

"… just shut up." he replied, crossing his arms over his chest as well.

Ruka chuckled. "Wow, you two get along pretty well!" he jested.

* * *

**Author's note: So how was it? Hope you liked it. I hope you guys leave a review as well to let me know what you think. Sorry to post it so long, I've been busy with my summer job and theater classes. So, I'd just like to thank the people who reviewed the last chapter. I'm also glad that you guys liked the previous one. I hope this one too. I will try my very best to update soon! Till next time!  
**


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